The National Union of Lagos State Students (NULASS) has praised Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu for approving N375,455 million for scholarship/ bursary.

The President of NULASS, Mr Shasanya Akinola, made the commendation in an interview on Friday in Lagos.

He said that the union was impressed with the commitment and consistency of the administration of Sanwo-Olu in giving bursary and scholarship since its inception.

He also thanked the Secretary of Lagos State Scholarship Board, Mr Abdur-Rahman Lekki, for ensuring that no qualified student was left behind.

“We sincerely appreciate our dear governor for doing the needful. lt is a way of encouraging us.

“This package is for all Lagos indigenes schooling across the federation, and I must say this gesture has gone a long way to take care of some of our financial burdens.

“The diligence exhibited by Lekki in establishing a cordial relationship between Lagos State students and the board cannot be over-emphasised,” Akinola said.

He described members of the union as students from ‘city of excellence’, saying that Lagos State had remained a pacesetter.

Akinola urged other states to emulate Lagos State in bursary and scholarship awards.

According to him, many states would need to review the value of the awards in view of the economic realities in Nigeria.

“ Lagos State scholarship award is N200,000, while some state scholarship awards are less and not regular,” he added.

The union leader also praised President Bola Tinubu for nominating two young people as ministers for the Federal Ministry of Youth.

“That is a big one for the youth,” Akinola said.

Tinubu on Sunday nominated a 37-year-old medical doctor, Jamila Bio Ibrahim, as the Minister of Youth.

The president also appointed a youth leader in the All Progressives Congress, Mr Ayodele Olawande, to serve as the Minister of State for Youth.

The Management of Ambrose Alli University, (AAU) Ekpoma, says it does not sell admission to candidates as being peddled in the social media.

Head, Corporate Communications and Protocols, Otunba Mike Aladenika, made the statement while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) on Saturday in Benin.

Aladenika described as baseless, a report that the university was engaged in the sales of admission to the highest bidders.

He described the report of the alleged admission racketeering “as a new generation-falsehood which should be dismissed and trashed in its entirety.

“The uninvestigated and completely misguided and vengeful story could better be described as a poor job done for certain elements who are out for some mischief and image damage.

“It is a fact that provisional admissions were granted to students into our various departments and faculties as required by enabling laws guiding admission processes in the university.

“It is also a fact that upon this provisional admission, acceptance comes with specific payments after which you are expected to follow through with other requirements.”

“Such requirements would enable you to register and become a bonafide student of the university.

“The process of admission is digital and seamless. Those who follow through with the process online, have no issue as we speak. “

According to him, the process of admission begins with the acceptance of the provisional admission which needs to be completed on schedule, to allow for the university’s calender to be completely implemented.

“Some of these candidates, after accepting the provisional admission, failed to complete the process until the quota was filled.

“Nevertheless, the university, in its wisdom, had to reassign such candidates to other departments and faculties mostly their second choice.

“To meet up with the deadline for registration process, the university issued a reminder to students who had made acceptance that their process must be completed on or before the Aug. 14 2023, to guarantee studentship eligibility.

“To the best of my knowledge, the affected candidates are just about 20 in number for each of the courses in question, Law and Medical Laboratory Sciences(MLS).

“The number admitted into MLS is 88 in the desire of the university to meet admission quota, while that of law is 135.

“Who then is buying these admissions? And why must a small number of candidates who failed to meet admission timelines through their own faults and therefore missed the opportunity now hold the university to ransom?”

Aladenika noted that ” the entire admission process, as driven by the acting vice chancellor, was electronically facilitated, devoid of marginal human errors.

“There is nobody given admission without meeting up with the expected academic requirements.

“Absolute merit was considered (you can come and verify that), not patronage.

“He who alleges must prove. Our hands are clean. Our actions are responsible to the effect of its discharge,” he said.

He explained that students who followed through with the process had almost concluded their registration.

“I will advise that if the candidates concerned are still interested in their studentship of the university, they should embrace their new departments and do the needful before the entire system is closed,” he said.

Aladenika advised journalists to always do due diligence in their reportage of events and issues by fact checking their stories.

“The lazy line of some journalists that ‘all efforts to get other views proved abortive’ as was in this reportage, is no longer acceptable in today’s serious journalism.

“The university is open for fact checking of the process by any journalist who cares to.

” There is nothing to hide here. We are running an open administration and using our valuable time and energy to grow our university,” Aladenika said.