The Asiwaju of Ijesaland, Asiwaju Olayinka Yinka Fasuyi, has continued to expand access to technical education for Ijesa youths, with the mobilisation of 200 students for admission into the Federal Technical College (FTC), Ilesa, for the 2026/2027 academic session.
The latest intervention builds on a scholarship initiative that began in 2023 and ran through three consecutive academic sessions, from 2023/2024 to 2025/2026. It is one of the 25 milestones highlighted in his decade-long stewardship as Asiwaju of Ijesaland.
The story is significant not only because of the number of students reached, but also because of how the initiative began, the community resources mobilised and the system established to sustain it.
Where It Began: Identifying the Problem
Every successful development project passes through four phases: idea conceptualisation, resource mobilisation, planning and implementation. The first phase is often overlooked, yet nothing else can happen without it. Unless someone identifies a problem and conceives a feasible solution, there is nothing to mobilise resources for, plan or implement.
The initiative began with that first phase. In 2023, Asiwaju Fasuyi observed that the Federal Technical College, Ilesa, a federal institution that had been located in Ijesaland for more than 35 years, had only 34 Ijesa students out of a population of approximately 1,400.
Many of the challenges confronting Ijesaland predated his installation as Asiwaju. For decades, the low representation of children from the host community in the institution had remained largely unaddressed. Fasuyi identified the gap and conceived the idea of correcting the imbalance through deliberate efforts to secure admission opportunities and mobilise funding for students.
From Idea to Action: Securing Admission Opportunities
Having identified the problem, Asiwaju Fasuyi first engaged the college management before following up with visits to Abuja. Within three months in 2023, he secured 250 admission slots for Ijesa indigenes.
This was leadership by example: rather than merely urging others to address the problem, he personally took the initiative to engage the relevant authorities and pursue a practical solution.
Mobilising the Community: The 2023–2026 Scholarship Scheme
With the admission opportunities secured, attention shifted to resource mobilisation. The initiative became a community-backed educational intervention under the Ijesa Community Development Assembly (ICDA), which Fasuyi chairs.
Launched in 2023, the scholarship scheme was structured around 250 scholarships for indigent students drawn from the six Local Government Areas of Ijesaland. A total of 78 Ijesa compatriots supported the programme, including professionals, traditional titleholders, professors, community groups and anonymous donors. Their individual contributions covered between one and 25 scholars.
The scheme supported beneficiaries across three consecutive academic sessions, from 2023/2024 to 2025/2026, opening the door to technical and science education for hundreds of young people from Ijesaland.
The FTC Scholarship Management Committee (FSMC) was responsible for administering the scheme. It documented scholarship offers and their acceptance, while publishing the full list of sponsors and beneficiaries in keeping with the principles of transparency and accountability.
Planning and Financial Discipline
The implementation process also involved attention to financial details. When the college demanded payment of fees, it imposed an additional Remita portal charge of ₦261.25 per student, amounting to approximately ₦65,300 for the scholarship beneficiaries.
Rather than charging the sponsors for this additional expense, the committee settled it from the interest earned on the ₦25 million scholarship fund placed with a bank.
The FSMC processed payments ahead of resumption on Monday, October 9, 2023, and also arranged Certificates of Honour for every sponsor at no cost to the scholarship account.
These measures demonstrated the importance of careful financial management in ensuring that funds contributed for educational support were used responsibly.
Building Relationships Beyond Scholarship Payments
The initiative was designed to go beyond paying school fees. Its policy encouraged personal relationships between sponsors and beneficiaries, creating opportunities for mentorship and a closer understanding of the impact of the intervention.
On Saturday, May 25, 2024, the ICDA organised a meeting of scholarship holders at the college assembly hall in Ilesa. The meeting was attended by 21 sponsors and all 250 beneficiaries.
The gathering gave sponsors an opportunity to interact directly with the students they were supporting, while encouraging relationships that could extend beyond financial assistance.
The three-year programme demonstrated how purposeful leadership, community partnership and investment in human capital could widen access to education and technical skills for young people.
The 2026/2027 Intervention: Mobilising 200 More Students
Following the scholarship scheme that covered the 2023/2024, 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions, the mobilisation of 200 students for admission into FTC Ilesa for the 2026/2027 session marks the next stage of the initiative.
The latest intervention extends the effort to increase Ijesa representation in the institution and expand access to practical, skills-based education.
It also reflects five principles associated with Fasuyi’s decade of service.
Leadership by example: He identified the problem, engaged the college authorities and pursued admission opportunities instead of merely calling on others to act.
Vision: The initiative recognises that Ijesaland’s future requires not only university graduates but also technically skilled young people equipped for industry, enterprise and self-employment.
Integrity: The programme has maintained a clear purpose: to widen educational access and equip young people with practical skills for employment and entrepreneurship.
Transparency: The scholarship scheme documented sponsors and beneficiaries, while opening opportunities to students from across the six Local Government Areas of Ijesaland.
Accountability: The number of admission opportunities and scholarship beneficiaries provides measurable indicators of progress, while the long-term impact will be reflected in how the students apply their education and skills.
The initiative complements other interventions in entrepreneurship, agripreneurship and information and communication technology, reinforcing the broader objective of developing young people who can contribute meaningfully to the economy of Ijesaland.
An Investment in Human Capital
The mobilisation of 200 students for the 2026/2027 academic session is more than an admission exercise. It represents a continuing investment in young people who can acquire technical skills, secure employment, provide specialised services, establish businesses and eventually create opportunities for others.
From identifying the low representation of Ijesa students in 2023 to securing admission slots, mobilising community sponsorship, administering scholarships across three academic sessions and extending the initiative into 2026/2027, the intervention illustrates the full cycle of development: conception, resource mobilisation, planning and implementation.
As one of the 25 milestones in Asiwaju Fasuyi’s decade-long stewardship, the initiative highlights the role of education and skills development in building a more capable, self-reliant and prosperous Ijesaland.
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