OGUN State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has rewarded Joy Oyinlola Adesina, who emerged as the best graduating student from the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, Osun State, with a house, a sum of N5 million and scholarship for further studies. Abiodun, who announced the rewards at a reception organized in honor of Miss Adesina on Wednesday, noted that the medical scholarship would be for her residency at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu. The governor noted that emerging the best medical graduate from the OAU is “an accomplishment, a rare feat that most of her peers can only dream of.”
She scored 10 distinctions and won nine top awards in her final examination. Abiodun observed that “her accomplishment is coming on the back of the spectacular performances of some of our young indigenes, who recently excelled in their various academic pursuits and were rewarded by our administration under a programme called the Ogun Academic Laureates”.
Abiodun noted that with the Ogun Academic Laureates Awards, his administration had introduced hope to rekindle passion for excellence in academic excellence and innovation, especially for the successor generation.
This, according to him, “is to groom and harvest more Wole Soyinkas; Theophilus Ogunlesis; Adeoye Lambos; Olikoye Ransome-Kutis; Akin Mabogunjes; Oyinade Olurins; and more Obafemi Awolowos”.
He reiterated that his administration would continue to recognise exceptional indigenes or residents of Ogun State, who through a dint of hard work attain academic excellence and are found worthy both in character and innovations.
Abiodun disclosed that Ogun Academic Laureates had been fully rewarded with the promised scholarships, cash prizes and houses. He said,
“We did this, not just because it is the right and honourable thing to do having made the promise, but also because we are a promise-keeping administration. We do not make promises that we do not intend to or cannot fulfill.
“We are all gathered here to celebrate the rare academic feat attained by Adesina, an indigene of our state who went to the Medical School at OAU, Ile-Ife. She saw, she learnt and she conquered, returning home after hard study and rigorous examinations with a record-breaking of 10 distinctions and nine top awards.
“Adesina won virtually every academic laurel available in medicine at OAU, Ife. We are proud of not only you, but people like you, especially the young ones who continue to fly the flag of excellence and Omoluabi, for which we are renowned.”
Abiodun, who tasked the awardee to put her intellectual prowess into research and scholarship, expressed optimism that Adesina might be Africa’s first Nobel Laureate in Medicine. Responding, Adesina appreciated the gestures extended to her by the state, saying that: “ I am very fulfilled”.
She commended her uncle, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, for “his inspiration” and support to achieve the feat at the medical school.
