What started as a modest essay competition offering 30 free JAMB forms in 2017 has grown into an annual education support programme benefiting 500 students in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Bethel Omoniyi Olulade, the immediate past councillor representing Ward A2, distributed the forms at Jakande Estate on Thursday, marking the latest phase of a scholarship initiative he began years before entering politics.
The event brought together a group of beneficiaries who were genuinely thankful for the opportunity they received. Many of them shared their determination to make the most of it by studying hard, with the hopes of gaining admission to tertiary institutions.
Mrs Adeola Olakunde, Olulade's mother, attended the distribution ceremony and shared insights into her son's commitment to education. She recalled an occasion when a distressed mother approached him about her inability to pay for her child's examination, and Olulade quietly excused himself, returning with funds for the West African Examinations Council form.
Olulade explained that the programme receives backing from family, friends, and the Anglican Church, allowing steady expansion over the years. When he assumed office as a councillor in 2021, he increased the number of beneficiaries to 400, and this year's 500 scholarships represent the largest distribution yet.
"We decided to up it to 500 this year, aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President. Seeing the laudable Students' Loan programme of the government, I believe the only way to have our youths benefit from it is to allow them to sit for JAMB, pass and get admission into the higher institutions of learning," Olulade stated.
Reflecting on the programme's origins, Olulade described how an essay competition requesting responses to "Why you deserve a free JAMB form" yielded unexpectedly compelling submissions that moved him to expand the original target.
"We had put up an essay on 'Why you deserve a free JAMB form,' with the plan to give out 30 forms, but after reading the essays that came in, we ended up giving out 70 forms based on our budget," he noted.
Speaking about what drives his continued investment in youth education, Olulade declared, "Seeing the young ones we motivate and support become successful is what motivates me. I am hoping that someday very soon, we will see the Nigeria of our dreams and see the seeds we sow mature into great oak trees."
