When the Michael Taiwo Annual scholarship was advertised on October 1 st , 2019, between 100 and 150 applications were expected. Instead, in just a week, over 1,000 applications were received. This is even more remarkable given that no amount was spent on advertising: the announcement was shared by people on social media, WhatsApp groups and word of mouth. The applications came from all six geopolitical zones in Nigeria, so the desire for graduate studies in the US and Canada has a national spread.