590 students benefit from free JAMB UTME forms in Oshodi-Isolo

By Abolaji Adebayo, Edith Igbokwe and Damilola Kushimo

No fewer than 590 candidates across Oshodi-Isolo LG would write this year’s Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) free of charge.

The candidates were selected randomly on merit based on their excellent performance during the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and were registered for the UTME by the sponsors in the LGA.

The sponsors have already purchased the forms and have started registering the beneficiaries as JAMB registration closes this week Wednesday while the examination starts on March 14, this year.

The gesture, according to the benefactors, is to uplift people at the grassroots and support them in their academic pursuit, noting the inability of many parents to fund their children’s education beyond secondary school due to high level of poverty has denied many brilliant students the opportunity for higher education.

In Oshodi-Isolo Constituency II, 260 candidates were supported to be registered for the UTME by their sponsors.
The member representing the constituency at the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Engr. Ganiyu Johnson, procured forms for 250 candidates with free six weeks intensive coaching organized for the candidates in Isolo and Ejigbo.

Apart from this, Johnson also promised to place five candidates who come out best in the examination on yearly N50,000 scholarship through their tertiary education.

Addressing the beneficiaries during the presentation of the forms at his constituency office at the weekend, Johnson, who was represented by his wife, Mrs. Olufunke Johnson admonished the students to make good results.

According to him, the gesture is one of his many programmes planned to help the people in the constituency especially those in dire need.

Besides this, Johnson said scholarship programme for those already in the higher institution would soon be unfolded, stating that he is working towards increasing the number of university graduates in the constituency.

Johnson, who disclosed that he was a beneficiary of scholarship, appealed to the students to reciprocate the gesture when they get to the top of their careers.

“You can only do this when you read your book seriously and pass your exams. I pray that you all make it to the top in life. When you get there, you too should reciprocate this so that it would become a multiplier effort. My joy and the success of this programme are to see all of you coming out in flying colours after your examination. Therefore, read hard, read as if there is no tomorrow for you to read for the exam.”

Another sponsor of free UTME forms for the year 2020 in Isolo is the Isolo council leader, Hon. Remy Shittu Remy, who also distributed 10 forms to the beneficiaries in the local council area who excelled in their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and were unable to afford the UTME form to continue their education to higher level.
While presenting the forms, Remy said the gesture was in fulfillment of his campaign promises to help the less privileged in the council area.

“The UTME forms are my own way of motivating the young ones, ease their financial burden and contribute to the educational sector,” he said.

According to him, he would continue to provide educational support to pupils and empower widows, physically challenged as well as the less privileged.

In Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I, similar support was offered to the less privileged students by two major sponsors.
In his effort to support the academic pursuit of the indigent candidates, the member representing the constituency at the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Bashiru Dawodu gave 200 youths free forms to write the UTME.

At the distribution, Dawodu said the gesture was a fulfillment of his electoral campaign promises to ensure that education becomes accessible to every youth in Oshodi-Isolo federal constituency I.

The maiden event which was tagged ‘Educational Grant: Jamb Exam Fee Support’ according to the lawmaker was to give educational support to youths in his constituency t who have keen interest in tertiary education to improve themselves and become agents of change.

Dawodu, who was represented by his chief of staff, Hon. Abiodun Mamora, implored the beneficiaries to prepare well for the examination to be admitted into higher institutions to study their courses of choice.

He said: “We strongly believe in education values and that is why we are giving out hundreds of JAMB forms to our people who are keenly interested in education so that they can become relevant in the society and also contribute their quota to the development of Oshodi-Isolo constituency I.

He further encouraged the students, telling them that education has taken him to his present position, adding that he also benefited from the government and needs to give back to the society.

In another development, 130 candidates also benefited from the free forms distributed in the seven wards of Oshodi-Isolo LGA by a former aspirant for the Lagos State House of Assembly in Oshodi-Isolo constituency I, Hon. Adebanji Gbeleyi popularly known as Skibanj.

According to him, he initially bought 100 forms but when the demand was more, he added 30 making a total of 130 forms to support the education of the youths in Oshodi.

Gbeleyi said although the forms were increased this year, he noted that he has been doing it for the past five years.
“I want to correct the mentality of our people that politicians give out during the time of elections only, for me, I give out from time to time to give back to the community.”

In all, about N2.65million was spent by the sponsors on the purchase of forms at the official rate of N3,500 per form excluding other expenses such as the ones spent on their coaching and other logistics also running to million naira.
Meanwhile, the beneficiaries and their parents were full of appreciation as many of the students who spoke to ECHONEWS promised to make use of the opportunity judiciously as some declared that they had initially lost hope of getting the opportunity to write the examination this year.

Some of the parents who also spoke to ECHONEWS expressed their utmost gratitude, saying they have greatly been relieved of their financial burden.