The Taiwo Bankole Scholarship 2026 is open to young people living in Ajegunle, Lagos, who have secured admission to a public university in Nigeria to study a STEM course or Law. Paradigm Initiative (PIN) runs it and plans to pick 10 scholars this year, five young men and five young women, aged 17 to 25. Applications close on 6 November 2026.
If you live in Ajegunle and already have admission, this award can carry you through the whole degree. PIN describes the support as covering university study for the full duration of the degree. Below are the eligibility rules, the documents to gather, how the earlier rounds went and tips for a stronger application.
Taiwo Bankole Scholarship 2026 at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Organiser | Paradigm Initiative (PIN), under its Ajegunle Legacy Project |
| Named after | The late Taiwo Bankole Ogunyemi, an early volunteer in PIN’s LIFE programme in Ajegunle |
| Number of awards in 2026 | 10 (five male, five female) |
| Age | 17 to 25 |
| Residence | Ajegunle, Lagos State |
| Courses | Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) or Law |
| University type | Public (federal or state) university in Nigeria |
| Priority | Applicants from low-income households |
| Deadline | 6 November 2026 |
| Where to apply | The scholarship website, taiwobankole.com |
Deadline
Applications for the 2026 Taiwo Bankole Scholarship close on 6 November 2026. Collect your recommendation letters this week, because they take the longest to get.
Who can apply for the Taiwo Bankole Scholarship
PIN set four conditions in its 2026 call. You need all of them.
- Age: you must be between 17 and 25 years old.
- Admission: you must already have admission into a public university in Nigeria. Private universities, polytechnics and colleges of education are outside the call.
- Course: your admitted course must be in STEM or Law.
- Residence: you must live in Ajegunle. PIN says people from low-income households are especially encouraged to apply.
“STEM” has been read broadly. The 2025 scholars include students of Medicine and Surgery, Radiography, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Computer Engineering and Cybersecurity, plus a Common and Islamic Law student. One 2025 scholar studies Portuguese and English at Lagos State University, so do not rule yourself out on course alone if your admission letter is from a public university.
Does your admission have to be confirmed?
The call asks for an admission letter, so your admission should be final. If you got in through JAMB this year, accept the offer on CAPS and print your admission letter before you apply. Our guide to JAMB CAPS statuses and how to accept admission walks through that step, and you will also need your JAMB result slip, which you can reprint using our JAMB result guide.
Documents for the Taiwo Bankole Scholarship 2026
Listings of the 2026 call give the documents below. Check them against the form on taiwobankole.com when you open it, since that form is the final word.
| Document | What to prepare |
|---|---|
| SSCE certificate | WAEC or NECO result or certificate |
| JAMB result | Your UTME result slip |
| Admission letter | From the public university, showing your STEM or Law course |
| Means of identification | NIN slip, international passport, voter’s card or driver’s licence |
| Recommendation letter 1 | From your secondary school teacher, principal or a supervisor |
| Recommendation letter 2 | From a stakeholder in the Ajegunle community |
The community letter is the one that proves where you live, so get it from someone with a known role in Ajegunle, such as a community development association officer, a religious leader or a school head in the area. Ask them to state how long they have known you and that you live in Ajegunle. Our recommendation letter samples show what a strong one contains.
How to apply for the Taiwo Bankole Scholarship
- Confirm your admission: accept your offer on JAMB CAPS and print the admission letter from your university portal.
- Gather the documents: scan each one clearly as a PDF or image before you start the form.
- Request two letters early: one from your school, one from an Ajegunle community stakeholder.
- Open the form: go to taiwobankole.com and follow the application link for 2026.
- Fill in your details: personal, academic and family income information, exactly as on your documents.
- Upload and submit: attach the files and submit before 6 November 2026. Keep any confirmation email or screenshot.
How past Taiwo Bankole Scholarship rounds went
The award has grown since PIN started the Ajegunle Legacy Scholarship fund in 2023. Here is what PIN has published.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2023 | First edition. Two Taiwo Bankole Prize winners (one male, one female) alongside two software training scholars |
| 2024 | Second edition, again with two Taiwo Bankole Prize places |
| 2025 | Ten beneficiaries, five men and five women, announced on 8 December 2025 at PIN’s award ceremony |
| 2026 | Ten places on offer; applications close 6 November 2026 |
The 2025 scholars were admitted to the University of Ibadan, Lagos State University, University of Jos, University of Uyo, LAUTECH Ogbomoso and Delta State University of Science and Technology, Ozoro. So the university can be outside Lagos, as long as it is public and you live in Ajegunle.
Going by the 2025 timeline, I would expect results around December, but PIN has not published a 2026 results date.
Tips to strengthen your application
- Write your financial situation plainly. Name who pays your fees now and what they earn, without exaggeration, since PIN gives priority to low-income households.
- Make sure your name is spelt the same way on your NIN, WAEC, JAMB and admission letter. Mismatches slow verification.
- If you have done anything for Ajegunle, such as tutoring, church or mosque youth work, or a tech club, mention it. PIN looks for commitment to impact.
- Do not wait for the last day. Letters from community leaders and university offices can take days to collect.
If you are outside Ajegunle or studying in a private school, look at other local awards such as the Wole Ogunyemi Foundation undergraduate scholarship.
How to write about yourself on the Taiwo Bankole form
PIN has said what it looks for: young people from low-income households in Ajegunle who show commitment to making an impact. Whatever written questions the 2026 form asks, whether a short statement or a few text boxes about your family and goals, your answers should prove those two things with detail rather than adjectives.
What to cover
- Your home situation: who you live with in Ajegunle, who earns in the house and roughly what they do. Keep it factual.
- Your route to admission: your JAMB score, any years you waited or rewrote, and how you prepared with little money.
- Why this course: one honest reason you chose your STEM course or Law, ideally linked to something you have seen in your community.
- What you already do for others: tutoring, coding clubs, youth groups, helping at a clinic or shop. PIN’s own programmes in Ajegunle centre on digital skills and youth development, so real involvement counts.
- What you plan to give back: a modest, believable plan, not a promise to “change Nigeria”.
A sample opening
Use this to judge tone only, then write your own story:
“I live with my mother and two younger brothers off Boundary Road in Ajegunle. My mother sells provisions from a kiosk in front of our house, and I helped her keep the stock records on an old phone, which is how I first got interested in computers. I wrote JAMB twice and scored 241 the second time, and I have been admitted to study Computer Science at the University of Lagos. On Saturdays I teach basic typing and spreadsheets to six secondary school students at our church.”
It names a street, a family, a score, a school and a real activity. A reviewer finishes that paragraph knowing who you are, which is what a short form answer has to do.
Eligibility edge cases
- Where Ajegunle ends: PIN has not published a street boundary. If you live on the edge of the area, your community stakeholder letter is what proves you belong, so get it from someone whose role in Ajegunle is clear.
- From Ajegunle but now living elsewhere: the call is about where you live. If your family moved out, ask PIN before applying rather than stretching the facts.
- Age at the limits: you must be 17 to 25. PIN has not said on which date age is measured, so if you turn 17 or 26 close to the deadline, check with PIN.
- Already in 200 level or above: the 2026 call speaks of applicants who have secured admission, and past press releases describe support for the full degree. PIN has not said whether continuing students qualify; read the form’s wording carefully.
- Direct entry students: a direct entry admission to a public university should count as admission, but you will not have a UTME result slip. Upload your direct entry documents and explain in the form.
- Courses on the border of STEM: past scholars include Radiography and Medicine, and one studies Portuguese and English. If your course is not obviously STEM or Law, apply anyway and let PIN decide.
Common mistakes that weaken applications
- Uploading an admission status screenshot from CAPS instead of the university’s admission letter.
- Getting both recommendation letters from the same kind of person. One must come from school, the other from an Ajegunle community stakeholder.
- Letters with no phone number, signature or date. A reviewer needs to be able to check them.
- Blurry phone photos of certificates. Scan in good light, flat on a table, and check that every grade is readable.
- Overstating hardship. PIN prioritises low-income households, but invented details can be checked through your community letter writer.
- Applying through a link someone sent on WhatsApp. Type taiwobankole.com yourself.
What happens after you apply
PIN has not published a 2026 selection timetable. The 2025 round gives the best guide: the ten scholars were announced on 8 December 2025 at PIN’s award ceremony, after applications closed in the autumn.
- Screening: PIN checks age, residence, admission and course against the rules.
- Verification: expect PIN to confirm your documents and possibly contact your referees. Whether there is an interview has not been published.
- Announcement: going by 2025, results are likely around December, with scholars presented publicly.
- Support through the degree: PIN describes the award as covering study for the full length of the degree. How payments are made each year has not been published.
Costs to plan for yourself
PIN has not published a breakdown of what the scholarship pays. Some listings claim it includes accommodation and a living stipend, but PIN’s own releases do not say so, so I would not count on it. Until you see the award terms, plan for these:
- Acceptance fee, which many universities charge before you can register
- Hostel or rent, especially if your university is outside Lagos
- Transport between Ajegunle and school, feeding and textbooks
- A laptop for STEM courses, and lab coats, drawing tools or practical kits
Similar awards for new university students
| Scholarship | Who it is for | What it pays |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwo Bankole Scholarship | Ajegunle residents aged 17 to 25 admitted to STEM or Law at a public university | Support for the full degree |
| Indomie Scholarship | Students newly admitted to public institutions | Full tuition |
| Decagon Undergraduate Scholarship | New students who scored 250 or more in JAMB | Full tuition |
| Ejiro M Ukiri Scholarship Fund | SS3 leavers starting university | Up to ₦150,000 |
| Prince Ukeme Ukpong Scholarship | Akwa Ibom indigenes in tertiary school | Education support with tuition |
Who should apply, and who shouldn’t
Apply if you live in Ajegunle, are between 17 and 25, and hold admission to a public university for a STEM course or Law, especially if your family struggles to pay. With only ten places, the field is small enough that a careful application with strong letters has a real chance.
Skip it if you do not live in Ajegunle, if you are at a private university, polytechnic or college of education, or if you are still waiting for admission. Wait for the next round once your admission letter is in hand; PIN has run this award every year since 2023.
FAQ
Can I apply for the Taiwo Bankole Scholarship if I am not from Ajegunle?
No. The call is for residents of Ajegunle, Lagos, and you need a letter from an Ajegunle community stakeholder. Your state of origin does not matter; where you live does.
Can I apply if I study in a private university or polytechnic?
No. PIN’s 2026 call is for students admitted to a public university in Nigeria, studying a STEM course or Law.
How much does the Taiwo Bankole Scholarship pay?
PIN has not published a naira figure. It describes the award as support for university study for the full duration of the degree, and press reports of the 2026 call call it a full four-year scholarship.
When is the Taiwo Bankole Scholarship 2026 deadline?
Applications close on 6 November 2026. Apply through taiwobankole.com.
Sources and updates
I checked this post against Paradigm Initiative’s own pages: the Ajegunle Legacy Project page on its LIFE website, its September 2024 press release on the second edition, and its December 2025 release naming the ten 2025 beneficiaries (PIN 2025 beneficiaries release). The 2026 age range, number of places and the 6 November 2026 deadline come from PIN’s statement of 14 October 2026 as reported by Peoples Gazette. The document list comes from listings of the 2026 call on the scholarship website and could not be checked on PIN’s own pages, so confirm it on the form. Last checked 24 October 2026; I will update this page if PIN changes the deadline or announces the 2026 scholars.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
