Ayomide Otitoju
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Folasade Ogunsola, has praised Rite Foods Limited for promoting academic excellence through its Rite Foods National Academic Excellence Awards, describing the initiative as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future and a recognition of outstanding student achievement.
Professor Ogunsola made the remarks on Monday during the presentation of two UNILAG recipients of the inaugural Rite Foods National Academic Excellence Awards to the university management.
The awardees, Chinedu Okeke Christian, recognised as the Overall Best Matriculating Student in the South-West, and Tijesuni Michelle Ogunsua-Dixon, winner of the Equal Opportunity Group category, presented their scholarship cheques from Rite Foods to the university management. UNILAG is the only tertiary institution to produce two awardees in the maiden edition of the awards.
Speaking at the event, the Vice Chancellor commended Rite Foods for complementing the efforts of higher institutions in encouraging academic excellence through private sector support.
She said the initiative demonstrates how the private sector can make meaningful contributions to education by recognising students who have excelled academically while also promoting equal opportunity.
According to her, the awards send a strong message that excellence, hard work and resilience deserve recognition and would inspire more young Nigerians to pursue academic success.
Representing Rite Foods, the company’s Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Manager, Dennise Aideloje, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to empowering young Nigerians through education and impactful corporate social responsibility initiatives.
She said the Rite Foods National Academic Excellence Award was established to celebrate exceptional students whose dedication and outstanding academic performance deserve recognition.
Aideloje added that the company hopes the initiative will encourage more students across the country to strive for excellence in their educational pursuits.
The Rite Foods National Academic Excellence Award recognises the best matriculating students across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones through a transparent selection process based on candidates’ aggregate performance in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), O’Level results and Post-UTME scores.
The initiative also honours outstanding students in the Equal Opportunity category, reflecting the company’s commitment to inclusion and equal access to quality education.
The beneficiaries expressed appreciation to Rite Foods for the recognition, saying the awards would motivate them to remain committed to academic excellence and make meaningful contributions to society.
Rite Foods said the initiative aligns with its EYEC Corporate Social Responsibility framework, which focuses on supporting education, nurturing exceptional talent and empowering the next generation of leaders through strategic social investments.
