Ile-Ife, Osun State, 22 August 2025. The AMIR Fund for Education, Science and Technology, through its corporate trustee First Trustees, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). The agreement establishes a fund to strengthen research in molecular biology and oncology at the University.
The endowment supports OAU in two related areas:
- Biomedical and oncology research in Professor Adebayo Shittu's laboratory in the Department of Microbiology
- An annual postgraduate research award for master's and doctoral students in molecular biology and oncology research in the laboratory
At the signing ceremony, Ridwan Sorunke spoke about his personal connection to OAU and to Professor Shittu, who mentored him while he was a student. “This endowment is rooted in my gratitude for the education I received in this institution and the guidance I was given. This fund is designed to catalyse local finances and build a robust framework for scientific research, right here in Nigeria, ensuring that our brightest minds have the resources they need,” he said. He described the initiative as “the first of many.”
The Vice-Chancellor of OAU, Professor Adebayo Bamire, thanked the AMIR Fund and said the initiative would be “instrumental in helping to scale forward many innovations in the department as well as the school itself.” He urged other alumni to follow the example and give back to their alma mater.
Professor Shittu said the fund would significantly improve the department's work. He recalled the financial challenges of his own PhD studies, which made him resolve that his students would not face the same barriers.
Also present were the Deputy Vice-Chancellors (Academic and Administration), the Director of the Linkages and Partnerships Office, representatives of the Faculty of Science, the University Library and the Directorate of Legal Services, members of Professor Shittu's research team, and representatives of First Trustees and Dev-Afrique Development Advisors.
About the AMIR Fund
The AMIR Fund for Education, Science and Technology is a registered charitable trust in Nigeria, founded and funded by Ridwan and Mariam Sorunke as a way of giving back to society. The Fund supports students, teachers and researchers through scholarships, prizes, research grants and mentorship, and runs social intervention work in rural and peri-urban communities. Its partners include Obafemi Awolowo University, African Church Grammar School and Dawah Front of Nigeria. The Fund is administered by First Trustees Nigeria Limited.
Media contact
AMIR Fund Communications · fund@amirfund.org · www.amirfund.org
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