Three Nigerian university students have been named the first recipients of the Optimistic Scholar Initiative, a scholarship and mentorship platform launched by Nigerian librarian and scholar Dr Ayodele Alonge in Decatur, Georgia, United States.

The initiative was unveiled during the Optimistic Scholar Annual Dialogue 2026, held at Auditorium 126, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia, as part of activities marking Alonge's 50th birthday celebration.

The three inaugural scholarship winners announced at the event were Muhammad Jamiu of Ahmadu Bello University, who won the LIS Undergraduate Category; Oreoluwa Blessing Adekunle of the University of Ibadan, winner of the LIS Postgraduate Category; and Faith Dairo of Redeemer's University, who clinched the Theology and Librarianship Category.

Alonge disclosed that although the initiative was formally unveiled in Georgia, its activities had already been running across Africa and Europe through mentorship, educational support, and connecting young people with opportunities.

The maiden scholarship call offered three slots but drew 360 expressions of interest and 86 essay submissions, a response Alonge described as confirmation of the scale of need among African students. "The platform was established to ensure talented students were not denied opportunities because of poverty or lack of support," he stated.

The initiative will concentrate on Library and Information Science, Theology, Communication and Information Studies, Archives, Digital Transformation, Information Technology, Knowledge Systems, and Youth Leadership, combining scholarship support with academic mentoring, research development, leadership training, and career guidance.

The event attracted 60 physical attendees and 100 virtual participants from Nigeria, the United States, Canada, Kenya, Ghana, Cameroon, and other countries. Activities included keynote addresses, dialogue sessions, and the public presentation of Alonge's book, "The Life Between the Lines: Memory and the Journey of Becoming," which explores themes of memory, faith, poetry, personal growth, and identity through reflections on poems written during his earlier years.

Founding board members announced at the event included Kathy L. Dawson, Amazing Grace Ayegbayo, Kemi Barake, DeMeeta Hulett, Stephen Ibrahim, Ola Adeyeye, and Oyetoun Alonge, with Ayodele Alonge serving as president of the initiative.