Promasidor Quill Awards Facilitate Scholarships For 21 Blind Students

SENATOR Oluremi Tinubu this year has awarded scholarship to 21 students from Bethsaida Home for the Blind, Yaba, Lagos to study different courses at University of Lagos (UNILAG).

According to a statement sent to The Guardian Campusnews, the scholarships were prompted by the lead story that won the overall prize of the 2015 Promasidor Quill Awards.

Titled “Where The Blind Dare To Dream”, the story, published on April 19, 2015 by The Nation Newspaper, was written by Taiwo Alimi, who just returned from the United Kingdom, where he had participated in the Summer Convergence Course run by Thomson Foundation, a global institution for the training of journalists.

In a telephone interview, Chioma Ohakwe, Director, Home for the Blind, confirmed that 21 inmates of the home gained admission into the UNILAG this year. According to her, their admissions were supported by the scholarships awarded by Senator Tinubu and her friends.

She disclosed that since April when Alimi’s story was published, attention has drawn to the home, which doubles as a school.

Meanwhile, the Quill Awards winner disclosed that the scholarship award covers tuition fees, study materials such as Braille computers and others to aid smooth transition of the students to the university system.

Alimi, who paid a visit to the Managing Director of Promasidor, Olivier Thiry, in his office in Isolo, Lagos, on Wednesday; said the award is an eye opener to contemporary journalism.
He said: “The Thomson Foundation course I attended in London gave me the privilege to learn about 21st Century Journalism.”

According to him, during his period in London, six reputable instructors took him and others through different diets including mobile and Internet journalism. Thereafter, he was attached with The Guardian Media House in London for internship and practical training.