Ejalonibu Foundation, an NGO, has promised to award scholarships to Badagry students who score above 300 in the forthcoming Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The Founder of the NGO, Mr Wusi Babatunji-Ejalonibu, made the promise during the distribution of free JAMB forms to over 100 youths who applied through its website on Sunday in Badagry.
Babatunji-Ejalonibu said the proposed scholarship award would cover full payment of the school fees and other expenses throughout beneficiaries’ course of study in the university.
“Apart from this, the foundation will also be responsible for 50 per cent payment of fees and other expenses of any students who gain admission to study medicine related courses through the foundation free JAMB form.
“Not only this, anybody who wants to become a teacher or study education related course, the foundation will also support him or her.
“This simply means that the foundation will be supporting three tiers of students in Badagry in the coming UTME among those that benefited from our free JAMB form,” he said.
He said that the foundation’s gesture was aimed at providing for humanity.
“Remember one day, you will also have the opportunity to be in this position; as you are going to larger society, remember Badagry.
“Face your studies and make Badagry proud.This is an ancient town, and do not drop out of school to become border touts known as ‘Kelebe.’
“It is either, you learn a trade or you go to four walls of education, the foundation is ready to provide succour to the needy,” he said.
Babatunji-Ejalonibu said that the foundation would provide other benefits for the residents of Badagry.
Miss Salamot Tijani, one of the beneficiaries of the free UTME forms, commended the foundation for its generosity.
She said that the initiative would further assist some youths whose parents could not afford to pay for the examination this year.
Tijani said she would like to study Business Administration at the Lagos State University in Ojo and study hard to benefit from the scholarship promised by the foundation.
Also speaking, another beneficiary, Abdulahi Adamu, an indigene of Nasarawa State who resides in Seme, near Badagry, urged politicians to buy into the initiative by assisting the youths in Badagry.
He said that the scholarship promised by the foundation would encourage many to further improve on their studies in order to benefit from the awards.
Adamu thanked the foundation for assisting the youths, adding that most parents could not afford to pay for the examination because of the present economic hardship in the country.
He said that he would like to study Mass Communication at the Nassarawa State Polytechnic.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the foundation had on April 12 opened applications for the free JAMB forms for at least 100 youths in Badagry(NAN)
