The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Yagba federal constituency, Kogi State, Henry Tuesday Abimbola on Thursday paid the Joint Admission Matriculation Examination Board (JAMB) examination fee of no fewer than 340 students in the three local governments of the constituency.
Apart from this, he promised to pay the school fees of successful candidates throughout their years in the university at the cost of N400,000 for each student every year.
According to him, the scheme which targeted 10 candidates from each of 34 electoral wards in the constituency, would continue after the 2019 election year irrespective of the outcome of the election.
Addressing the beneficiaries at the presentation ceremony in Odo-Ere, headquarters of Yagba West Local Government, witnessed by stakeholders in the education sector in the area, Abimbola, a businessman and philanthropist, said the gesture was not influenced by his political aspiration as he had supported the education sector in various ways in his basic community over the years.
He said that his decision to extend the gesture to other parts of the constituency was “a hand of support to reduce the burden of parents in the laying of a solid foundation for the future of our children through the attainment of proper education to the university level beginning from today.
“The purpose of this programme is to extend a hand of support to other parts of Yagba. I have been doing this for the past 15 years in my community (Mopamuro Local Government).
“This includes donation of computers to science schools, scholarship to Mopamuro indigent students both at polytechnic and university levels, payment of school fees, WAEC and NECO fees for a minimum of 30 students, provision of teaching aids, employment of ad hoc teaching staff to make up for the shortage of teachers at Government Day Secondary School, Takete-Ide for past 12 years and paying their salaries; provision for accommodation for NYSC corps members and principals. So this is not about the election. And I assure you this latest scheme will continue election or no election”.
The senatorial candidate of the APC from Kogi west, Smart Adeyemi, also offered to support the JAMB scheme for Yagba indigent students initiated by Abimbola with additional 10 beneficiaries on his bill.
He described Abimbola as a “consistent philanthropist” and urged the beneficiaries to embrace education if they must excel in their lifetime ambition, promising to focus on education, youth and women empowerment if reelected.
The Education Secretary, Yagba West Local Government, Comrade Jude Ogunjobi, commended Abimbola for touching lives even when he had not been elected into political office.
He urged parents, educationists and all stakeholders to ensure the sustenance of the programme, describing it as the first of its kind by any individual in Yagbaland.
He said, “When you give out money, you are taking care of today, when you pay WAEC fees you are encouraging the students to have a senior school certificate, but when you pay for their JAMB examinations, you are no doubt encouraging them to further their education to the next level”.
