A firm, CanadaeAcademy, says it has launched a programme it claims will make it easier for Nigerian students to study in Canadian Universities and eventually work in the country, with scholarships promised to top performing candidates in this year's Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

The Country Director and Head of Corporate Development, Mr Akinkunmi Akinnola, described the company as Nigeria's premier online provider of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, which he said is delivered under accreditation from the Ontario Ministry of Education, Canada. According to Akinnola, the diploma allows Nigerian students to earn what he called "a fully recognised Canadian secondary credential" without relocating or interrupting their current studies. He claimed graduates would gain direct entry to Canadian Universities as domestic status applicants, along with IELTS waiver eligibility, benefits he said are not available through WAEC or A Level routes.

Akinnola stated that the firm would select top scoring UTME candidates from schools in Abuja, Ibadan, and Lagos, with each beneficiary offered a scholarship valued at 7,000 Canadian dollars, about N10 million. He named a student of Christ the King College, Master Abdulai Ojonimi, who scored 347 in the UTME, as someone already under consideration, and confirmed the company had written to the school over the offer.

In the letter, seen by this newspaper, CanadaeAcademy told the college it wished to award Ojonimi what it called the inaugural "CanadaeAcademy Pathfinder Scholarship," covering his OSSD programme. The firm said his WAEC results would be credited toward the diploma through what it described as Prior Learning Assessment, leaving him to complete six to seven additional Grade 12 courses online, alongside his current schedule.

The company also proposed a wider arrangement with Christ the King College, under which students would be offered the OSSD as an additional diploma alongside their Nigerian qualifications. Akinnola listed what he described as incentives for participating schools, including a share of revenue from student enrolments, positioning as an institution offering an internationally recognised credential, and free curriculum consultation. Neither the Ontario Ministry of Education nor Christ the King College has independently confirmed the accreditation or partnership details as described by the firm.