Feziechi Anele (2k21) and Covenant Odedele (2k24) have been selected to be part of the 2024 Nigeria Higher Education Fund (NHEF) Scholars Program. The two along with twenty nine others from the University of Ibadan, make up 31% of the Scholars this year.
The Scholars Program—according to NHEF—is “an early career-accelerating program that provides diverse opportunities to the selected Scholars from various partner Universities.” The partner universities are: Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Bayero University, Kano, University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and University of Port Harcourt. Candidates must display a strong commitment to leadership, community service, and philanthropy, as well as making a lasting impact across the globe.
The Scholars go through an intense weeklong orientation program that exposes them to career development training that is pivotal in facilitating an easy transition into the global workforce. They thereafter take up internship placements at NHEF’s partner firms, for a period of 6 – 8 weeks. Throughout the Program, Scholars go through a robust curriculum, ensuring continuous personal and professional development.
Speaking with UIMSA Press, Covenant Odedele said, “I feel very elated to be joining the Nigeria Higher Education Foundation Scholars Class of 2024. Being selected among the 100 scholars in a pool of over 1,000 applicants across the country, alongside being the first medical student to be a scholar in the two decades of the programme identifies me among the most talented and promising students in the country. Eagerly looking forward to being equipped with the knowledge to position me to thrive in my career.”
The two are the first medical students to be in the Scholars Program in the past two decades. Recall that both of them had been featured in the 2021 UIMSA Primus List; a list acknowledging some of UIMSA’s brightest minds.
Aisha Ibrahim
