One thousand indigent senior secondary school students from Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore, and Ejigbo Federal Constituency have been given free registration forms for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and the West African Examination Council, courtesy of an All Progressives Congress chieftain, Mr. Ayodele Asalu.

The forms were presented to the beneficiaries on Wednesday during a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the initiative in Ejigbo, Osun State. Students, parents, teachers, and APC members from the constituency attended the event.

Asalu, who launched the programme in 2016, said it was designed to empower less privileged students in the constituency and ensure that brilliant but indigent youths were not shut out of higher education due to financial constraints. "Year on year, we increased the number of beneficiaries to accommodate rising needs and expand the reach of our intervention. Today, ten years after I first launched the idea, we have distributed over 7,000 WAEC and UTME forms in this Local Government and Federal Constituency," he said.

He disclosed that for this year's edition, 450 students received WAEC forms, while 550 received UTME forms, with all WAEC beneficiaries automatically provided with JAMB registration as well.

Asalu explained that the selection process drew students from 20 public secondary schools in Ejigbo, with the best 15 students from each school chosen. Additional beneficiaries were nominated through religious bodies, traditional institutions, community leaders, and other stakeholders to ensure fairness and inclusiveness.

He urged students and parents to make the most of the opportunity by putting in their best effort during the examinations. He also called on privileged Nigerians to extend similar support to less privileged citizens, noting that such gestures would help relieve the effects of the harsh economy and foster peace and harmony in society.

In 2024, about 600 students from 20 secondary schools in Ejigbo Local Government Area received free WAEC and UTME forms through the same initiative.