Mazeed Mukhtar Oyeleye writes,
UDUS Scholars' Forum, a non-profit, apolitical and non-religious organization, went live on the soil of Usmanu Danfodiyo University campus in the later hours of Friday 5th of November, 2021.
UDUS Scholars' Forum emerged for the benefit of UDUS students through a memorandum circulated by the lead visioner of USF, Muhammad Adrat Adeyemi, a finalist of Biochemistry, who is the UDUS campus ambassador to United Bank for Africa and Indomie, and a former Students' Union presidential aspirant.
The forum, which is the first of its kind on the Danfodiyo Varsity soil, exists to give exceptional students a push towards harnessing their potentials and maximizing opportunities.
The memorandum read, "UDUS Scholars' Forum (USF) is a non-political, non-religious and a not-for-profit students' organization that seeks to attract the smartest and brightest undergraduate students on UDUS campus to equip them with the required 21st-century training and how to maximize opportunities (scholarships, academic grants, skilled and research-oriented etc) during their undergraduate study through hard work and strive for academic excellence."
The memorandum also carried an application link for students who meet the membership criteria to register through the 12th of November, 2021. The membership criteria are as follows:
1. Aspiring members MUST be determined to win a scholarship either at the undergraduate or post-graduate level.
2. Aspiring members MUST be a 200level (UG2) student and above in UDUS.
3. Final year students are highly encouraged to register as members.
4. Aspiring members from all faculties MUST have obtained a cumulative GPA of 4.0/5.0 in the last academic session EXCEPT for students of the Faculty of Law and FAIS who must possess a CGPA of 3.8/5.0.
In an exclusive interview with Pen Press, Muhammad Adeyemi, the lead-visioner of UDUS Scholars' Forum, disclosed that the USF has been in his plans for a while.
He said, "The idea [of USF] was birthed in November 2019. That was at the end of the 2018/19 academic session. It was since then in my draft as one of the critical long-term goals I deemed to accomplish in the Nigerian university system. It's noteworthy that I have contacted some resource persons outside UDUS that will come for a scholarship boot camp, the first of its kind in Northern Nigeria, but it is yet to come to fruition today. However, COVID-19 came, and that was it. But because I am passionate about this course through hard work and street-smartness, as a former Students' Union presidential aspirant in UDUS, my agenda and manifesto #ForAGreaterUDUS was tagged AWAITS, which stands for Academics, Welfarism, Advocacy, ICT, Transport and Security.
"Narrowing down the Academic plans I have for the students, UDUS Scholars' Forum (USF) was one of my cardinal points, and to the glory of Allah, we are counting on our little successes till today."
The Grand patron of UDUS Scholars' Forum, Professor Yusuf Saidu, who is also the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation and Development), while giving an interview to Pen Press, expressed his belief in the prospects of UDUS Scholars' Forum.
In his words, "The forum (USF) will, without doubt, encourage scholarship among students. This (the initiative), in my opinion, is good for well being of the students and their future plans. Any forum that will bring the best-performing students together for academic discourse and identifying opportunities for excelling while on campus and scholarships upon graduation will, without doubt, impact positively on the lives of the students."
Eeboade Hassan, a 400-level student of Law, lauded the UDUS Scholars' Forum initiative.
"I must confess that it is really a great initiative. In fact, I personally believe that it will be a remarkable forum as it will not only get you connected with able-minded students in UDUS but also expose you to opportunities worldwide."
Speaking on the response of the Danfodiyo community to the unveiling of the UDUS Scholars' Forum, Adeyemi went on to express his satisfaction with the influx of applications. He also encouraged other eligible students to turn in their applications.
"I am astonished by the support of Danfodites since we started this initiative in the newest of its existence. To the best of my knowledge, such an organization is the first of its kind in Nigeria. But in less than 48 hours of calling for our membership strength, we have received qualitative responses from more than 100 students who met the eligibility criteria and have successfully submitted their applications.
"We, as a team at USF, find pride in this (the massive turnout). Being a baby organization, it shows that Danfodites are ever ready for the progress of WHY they are on campus."
Speaking on the initiative and its modus operandi, Adeyemi further disclosed that the activities of the forum would be strictly online as the ease of the students is a priority of his team.
"In brief, we are a hub for intellectual students on campus, and we aim to build a smart community within UDUS that will have a 100% online efficiency (all our activities will be online) because this is a critical and necessary tool for 21st-century professional and career progress in any setting whether in Nigeria (either private or public institutions) or developed countries.
"Most importantly, we want scholars to participate in the forum from the comfort of their zones because we understand that scholars are busy students with busy schedules. Additionally, this is beyond the main campus affairs. We are working actively by extending and carrying along students from our medical campus. So far, the quality of applications we have received humbles me and urge others who are qualified but yet to register to do so." he concluded.
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