Following a highly competitive and onerous selection process, 30 Nigerians have been awarded fully funded scholarships by the US Consulate General. The beneficiaries, including a 17 year graduate of a Community Secondary School in Lagos, were awarded scholarships to American Universities ahead of the 2021/2022 academic session.
The scholarships will cover all expenses including tuition, application fees, visa fees, flight and standardized tests. The awards were a denouement of the 2021 edition of the Opportunity Funds Programme sponsored by EducationUSA. The Opportunity Funds Programme (OFP) is an initiative by the United States Embassy in Nigeria to identify suitably qualified and motivated Nigerian students from low income families for financial assistance to US tertiary institutions of learning. This was the 11th edition of OFP.
Temitayo Famutimi of the US Consulate General in Lagos stated that six of the beneficiaries are set to study various undergraduate programmes in the USA while three are to enroll for Master’s degrees. 21 of the awardees are to go for doctoral studies. Some of the US universities they will be attending include Columbia University, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), among others.
The US Consul General, Clair Pierangelo, while speaking at a reception to honor the awardees, admonished them to leverage on this opportunity to obtain world class education while gaining valuable experience on the American life and culture.
One of the awardees, who obtained full funding to study for Computer Science and Mathematics at Columbia University, described it as a life changing experience. Another awardee said that EducationUSA should be the first step for anyone looking to study in the US.
There are nearly 14,000 Nigerians in over 1,000 US tertiary institutions, making it one of the more preferred International study destinations for the African Giant.
