Adeyemi Tasks Govts on Free Access to Basic Education

Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

Worried by the rising statistics of out of school children’s and high unemployment rate, the Senator Representing Kogi West Senatorial district, Senator Smart Adeyemi, has urged the government at all levels to give more attention to free access to basic education with a view to secure the future of the present generation.
Adeyemi made this call while speaking at the inauguration of the third edition of the scholarship award to Indigent Students of Kogi West origin at Iyara in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State on Saturday , noted that the periodic gesture was aimed at further rebuilding and repositioning the zone; thereby salvaging it from economic backwardness, poverty and digital illiteracy that has been prevalent in the nation.
During the ceremony, at least 500 indigent students of Kogi West Senatorial District benefited from the scholarship award offered by Senator Adeyemi, while 250 undergraduates were presented with scholarship awards and brand new laptops while others received grants.
The federal lawmaker disclosed that the gesture was aimed at improving human capital development in the district, saying “I am doing this because it is an investment in human capital development of our people. Education is never a waste.
“I am trying to break the circle of poverty in Kogi West Senatorial District by equipping our future leaders with the necessary skills.
“I have no doubt in my mind that this scholarship scheme will inspire the beneficiaries and the youths in general to drive the necessary change that will lead to sustainable development in Kogi West Senatorial District and indeed Kogi State.
“Permit me to say that I am an irrepressible advocate of the educational advancement of the people of Kogi State, particularly Kogi West Senatorial District. This is premised on my conviction that human capital development plays a vital role in the long-term productivity and development of any society. That is why education has continued to attract the highest priorities in my scheme of things, as the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District at the 9th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
He added that his driving force was in the multifaceted success that the scheme has recorded since its inception, adding that the competitive nature of the scholarship scheme has positively affected the performance of many undergraduate students in their respective institutions of learning, as a lot of them, who hitherto approached their studies with kid gloves, were now giving it the seriousness it deserved.
“Indeed, the payment of school fees, which could have naturally been a major constraint and distraction to these students, are being taken care of through my Undergraduate Scholarship Scheme.”