By Oluwatope Lawanson
A Lagos State lawmaker, Mr Adewale Adedeji, says education is the most powerful tool to reduce poverty and transform lives.
Adedeji, who represents Ifako-Ijaiye Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, made the assertion in Lagos on Wednesday.
Adedeji, the Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Transportation, spoke while presenting 400 GCE forms to students in the council area, for free.
The lawmaker said that the initiative with the theme, “Building Unmatched Generation”, is part of his efforts to promote education among youths and adults.
He reaffirmed his commitment to expanding access to quality education and improving literacy in the local government area.
Adedeji said that he was determined to contribute meaningfully to achieving 100 per cent national literacy rate by 2031.
He added that he aimed to make Ifako-Ijaiye the most educated local government area in Nigeria by 2037.
He said: “Beneficiaries of the free GCE forms will automatically qualify for free Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination forms to enable them to pursue higher education.”
Adedeji said the distribution of forms, now in its seventh edition, was designed to give back to the community and support the educational aspirations of young people.
He described young people as the future of the society.
The lawmaker said the programme accommodated adult learners, who would equally benefit from the free GCE forms to further their education.
“So far, 2,500 people have benefitted. We started with 50 when I became a lawmaker. We later increased it to 150, 200, 250, 350 and now 400.
“We have some of the past beneficiaries in the university and some of them with first class grade are also benefiting from our scholarship till date.
“The best of them with first class results in their first year will get scholarship till they finish as long as they maintain their first-class position,” he said.
He hoped that the initiative would ease the financial burden on parents.
Adedeji added that the programme would position the beneficiaries to take advantage of the Federal Government’s Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
“I want to commend President Bola Tinubu on the NELFUND programme, which is one of the best initiatives we have seen in the country.
“We are preparing the youth in Ifako-Ijaiye with the provision of free GCE forms so they can enjoy the benefits of the NELFUND programme.
“Once they gain admission into any university of their choice, they can access NELFUND, and this will ease financial burdens on their parents,” he said.
Adedeji expressed optimism about the future of youths in the constituency, noting that many past beneficiaries were already excelling in universities.
“Today we have the parents of the beneficiaries, and this shows the parents are encouraging the students to further their education.”
In her remarks, the All Progressives Congress Chairman in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area, Mrs Kofoworola Ajayi, urged the beneficiaries to reciprocate the gesture by excelling in the examination.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Adeyinka Akilla, said: “Once you give people education, you are giving them life because education is the best legacy.
“This initiative has given us great courage to stand out in society and become better leaders of tomorrow,” she said.
Akilla thanked the lawmaker for the initiative, and urged the beneficiaries to give back to society in the future. (NAN)
Edited by Ijeoma Popoola