Seven newly admitted students have received ₦5 million each under the maiden Rite Foods National Academic Excellence Awards, a partnership between Rite Foods and JAMB that rewarded exceptional academic performance with a total of ₦35 million.
The winners weren’t chosen based on UTME scores alone. JAMB also considered their WAEC results, post-UTME performance and admission records, making the Rite Foods award a recognition of students who consistently performed well throughout the admission process.
The recipients represent all six geopolitical zones, with an additional award going to a student from JAMB’s Equal Opportunity Group for Persons with Disabilities. Most of the winners are studying Medicine or Software Engineering, while others are pursuing Mechanical Engineering and Mass Communication.
Professor Is-haq Oloyede, the outgoing registrar of JAMB, warmly congratulated Rite Foods for the initiative. Speaking on the collaboration, he noted: “There are many people with high scores who are not admitted, and this offers an opportunity to celebrate them.”
According to Rite Foods, the awards are meant to celebrate academic excellence and encourage more students to strive for outstanding results. The company also says the initiative will become an annual programme, with reports indicating that the winners will receive internship opportunities alongside the cash prize.
“A Rite Foods, we firmly believe Nigeria’s future will be shaped by young people. The initiative goes beyond recognizing academic achievements, it is about recognizing greatness,” the company’s Managing Director said.
He went on to acknowledge that education remains one of the most powerful drivers of national development across the globe. “No nation can rise above the quality of its human capital.”, he noted.
It’s not every day you hear of Nigerian students getting millions just for doing well in school. Thanks to the Rite Foods National Academic Excellence Awards, these seven freshers are beginning university with a pretty impressive head start.
