Purpose: The Julia & Othniel Malau-Aduli University Scholarship (JOMAUS) is primarily established to be a for-no-profit charitable family trust in the memory of this legendary couple whose historical passion for the education of male and female children was unsurpassed. The main purpose is to promote the advancement of tertiary education of Richa indigenous people in particular, and the wider Kulere, Mushere and Ron people. The aim is to help relieve poverty and provide scholarship opportunities for young people from financially disadvantaged backgrounds to study for an undergraduate degree program at any fully recognized Nigerian University of their choice. Hopefully, JOMAUS beneficiaries will themselves, be strong enough in the future to help and support others in need and keep on multiplying the good works among our people.
History: JOMAUS was established on February 18, 2022 in Queensland, Australia, by Professor AEO Malau-Aduli, PhD, FRSN, (Veterinary Sciences Discipline, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 2016-2023), and Professor BS Malau-Aduli, PhD, PFHEA, (College of Medicine & Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 2013-2023). Both Professors later moved from James Cook University to The University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, in early 2023.
The JOMAUS Trustees are: Jaimei, Senfat, Safat, Alice, Fit, Bunmi and Enoch Malau-Aduli, while Grace Othniel Aduli provides anchor to the home base finance and administrative management.
In the inaugural and pioneer set of awards in 2022, seventeen (17) JOMAUS applicants were AWARDED the scholarship. A list of the degree courses, institutions and photos of award recipients by year of award are shown below. From 2023 to 2025, a maximum total of 10 scholarships per year were awarded.
From 2026 onwards, 10 additional scholarships were awarded bringing the total to 20 awards per year, to cover the following 5 socio-geo-political ethnicities:
KULERE (Richa, Barkul, Kamwai, Toff, Ambul-Bargesh),
MUSHERE (Mushere Central, North, West, Margif-Kopmur),
RON EAST-MURWI (Bokkos, Kwatas, Tangur, Bokkos West),
RON WEST (Daffo, Sha, Manguna, Gwande-Karfa), and
RON CENTRAL (Butura, Mbar, Mangor, Mandar) Wards.
The scholarship durations range from a minimum of one year to a maximum of three years to eligible and qualified individual applicants commencing their Bachelor degree programs.
From 2022 to 2025, JOMAUS has awarded scholarships to 37 students.
Eligibility: The online application form is free of charge. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered or screened. To be considered for JOMAUS Award, you need to directly submit the following 6 clearly legible and certified documents online: 1) copy of JAMB admission letter into an approved University undergraduate degree program; 2) officially stamped letter of acceptance into the degree program; 3) institutional receipt of payment of acceptance fee from the University; 4) University-stamped proof of registration into a degree program; 5) indigene certificate; and 6) one coloured passport photo. These six documents MUST be submitted online before the closing deadline. INCOMPLETE or FAKE documents and submitting a DOUBLE application will lead to automatic disqualification.
Screening: All submitted documents will be thoroughly scrutinized and independently verified by The JOMAUS Trustees for authenticity. After thorough screening, only successful applicants will be contacted. The selection decision of the JOMAUS Trustees based on presented factual evidence is final.
Payment: Before any direct scholarship payment into a nominated bank account can be activated, a signed acceptance of the JOMAUS letter of scholarship offer, terms and conditions must be received from a successful applicant.
Application Forms Open: Friday, 29th May, 2026 (Australian Eastern Standard Time +9hrs GMT). Please note that Australia is about 9 hours ahead of Nigeria, hence it will still be Thursday, 28th May in Nigeria when the JOMAUS online application form portal opens.
Application Forms Close : When the first 20 qualified, eligible and complete applications are received on first-come-first-served basis, the online submission portal closes automatically.
The 2025 JOMAUS Applications have now CLOSED. Dates for 2027 JOMAUS Applications to be confirmed closer to May 29.
