In this interview with Funmi Ogundare, some MTN Foundation scholars shared how the scholarship has taught them to be resilient through hard work and helped them to forge ahead in their studies

Miss Favour Anthony, 24, is a 300-level University of Jos student studying Special Education and Rehabilitation Science. Before admission into the university, she was bubbling with life, and everything seemed to work perfectly for her. At some point, she had the opportunity to work with special needs people and even enjoyed the affection she got from working with them.

However, fate played a cruel one on her in 2020 when she lost her sight due to poor handling of the eye problem by the hospital.

Mr. Ahmed Junaid Adebowale, a 200-level student of Better By Far University of Ilorin, studying English Education, was born blind. As the last born of a family of six, he has had to overcome several challenges just to see himself through school.

Miss Adeola Anifowose is a 300-level student of Guidance and Counseling at Lagos State University, the second of a family of five with a widowed mother to cater for her and her siblings. Anifowose, who is visually impaired, also had to struggle through her academics.

Anthony, Adebowale and Anifowose are among the 300 MTN Foundation scholars who have benefitted from its annual scholarship of N200,000 and have maintained a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.0/4 or 3.5/5 for STEM students and 2.0/2.5 for blind students.

The flagship programme has been running since 2010 and is open to eligible 300-level students studying science and technology-related courses in Nigerian public tertiary institutions.

The eligibility criteria for the scholarship are; institution of study, course of study, level of study and Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).

The organisation created three scholarship categories to cater to the diverse needs of exceptional scholars, including the MTN Science and Technology Scholarship (MTNSTS), open to those who have completed their second semester 200 level examinations and going to 300 level, as well as students currently in their 300 level studying science and technology related courses in Nigerian public tertiary institutions.

The MTN Scholarship for Blind Students (MTNSBS) is open to 200 and 300-level blind students in any Nigerian public tertiary institution and the top 10 UTME scholarships.

“I read my admission letter with my two eyes in 2019. It was when I was to resume school that the whole problem started in 2020. I had a retina detachment and there was medical manhandling by the hospital,” Anthony told THISDAY. “I have done like four different surgeries and it has led to the problem.”

She explained that she decided to study Special Education and Rehabilitation Science because that is where her passion lies. “Before I became visually impaired, I worked with special people and loved them. Little did I know that something like that would happen to me. When I lost my sight completely, it was as if all hope was lost, but It actually made it easier for me to adapt.”

She said despite the increase in school fees from N45,000 to more than 100,000, the scholarship has helped her to pay her school fees and accommodation, as well as registration.

Anthony noted that since her father retired and her mother engaged in petty trading, the scholarship has helped relieve them of the financial burden.

“I have three other siblings and four of us are in the university, so this scholarship has relieved the burden of my parents,” added the student. “I was determined and I told myself that if others are making it, I can also make it. If you have the passion, a way will be opened and a direction and inspiration will come through.”

She advised the foundation to keep up the good work as they have been able to impact lives, adding since they are offering the scholarship to STEM students and persons with visual impairment, they should add other persons with other clusters of impairment, such as the physically challenged persons, people with hearing impairment, among others.

Adebowale, with a CGPA of 4.52, stated that he applied for the scholarship to cater for his educational needs, including payment of school fees, study materials and everything surrounding the education of blind persons.

He listed some challenges a blind student may face in school, such as discrimination and lack of accessibility to study materials and infrastructure.

“Many times you suffer discrimination in the classroom. You are not properly included. You have to struggle for inclusion. We only practice inclusion on paper and not what it really is. The University of Ilorin lacks a good resource room for blind persons,” stated Adebowale. “For instance, if you are buying books from your faculty or department and the book has 150 pages, as a blind person, I will buy the printed copy of that book and then take it to a business centre where it will be scanned for me to be able to read it. Imagine you buying a book for N1,000 or N700 and you have to scan it at N100 per page, so you can imagine how much you have to pay.”

Adebowale said the scholarship had helped as he was able to buy himself a laptop and pay for his accommodation compared to when he had to borrow things from colleagues.

“Life has thought me resilience. You don't say it is over until you give in your best because you never can tell what will happen in the next minute. I had applied for the federal government and NNPC scholarships but didn't get any,” Adebowale explained. “I was unable to write the NNPC exam because they do not have facilities for persons with disabilities.”

He added, “When I applied for the MTN scholarship, I just applied without thinking much about it, but I believe that God did it. The scholarship has touched the lives of those who are blind positively.”

He however appealed to MTN Foundation to provide assistive technological devices with a screen reader called Non visual Desktop Assess (NVDA) apart from the N200,000 saying that it will go a long way in helping persons with visual disabilities who are in school.

Anifowose, with a CGPA of 3.99, stated that she had applied for many scholarships before the MTN foundation scholarship came through, adding that it has helped a lot.

“I wasn't expecting it, though, because I felt that since I was not the only one that applied for it. I have been hearing about it. I didn't know that I would be one of those who would be shortlisted,” Anifowose admitted. “All hope is not lost as the scholarship will go a long way in lifting some burden from my mother.”

She noted that paying her school fees, buying provisions and getting other things she would use in school were some of the challenges she encountered. She thanked the MTN foundation for its support, as it will enable her to cope with her studies.

“It is not easy and they are helping us a lot. I think it has gone a long way for persons with visual impairment,” Anifowose added. “They are doing a lot and touching lives.”

Miss Ijeoma Edith Nwosu, a 300-level student of Civil Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers, with a current CGPA of 4.72, told THISDAY that her widowed mother had been taking care of her and seven siblings since their father died. “When I got admission into school, I needed the scholarship to help relieve my mother of the financial burden,” stated Nwosu. “I feel it is important because it would actually help me in my journey in school because accommodation and feeding are expensive in school. The scholarship will actually make it easier.”

She advised the MTN Foundation not to relent in supporting the less privileged, saying, “They are really affecting lives, and it is really encouraging us as students to keep putting more effort in our education and not relaxing.”