Wale Jagun
Many of the beneficiaries of the Executive Chairman, Imota Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Benson Sunday Ayodele’s educational grants for PhD and Masters expressed their surprises and commendations at the initiative of the council to support them in their educational pursuits.
As part of the just concluded week -long one year in office celebration, the council boss presented grants of N1milion each to nine PhD candidates, while 50 Masters programme candidates received N100, 000 each. 107 undergraduates were also given bursary of N50, 000 each. The educational initiative underscored the seriousness attached to education by the Hon. Benson Sunday Ayodele led administration and has since been receiving applause from the people within and outside Imota LCDA.
Hon. Benson Ayodele at the presentations also reiterated his administration’s determination to stakeholders and residents of Imota during the week that the focus of his administration is to produce more graduates and PhD holders.
“We are determined to make sure that Imota community produces more graduates.
“In four years, we want to produce nothing less than twenty PhD holders in our community and we want to look for such students who are in university that have scored more than 3.6 GCPA. We want them to come out with good grades and we want to support them to further,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries of the PhD grants, Mr Oluwafemi Olaide, who said that the grant was a surprise to him, commended the initiative of the chairman.
“I am very excited being one of the beneficiaries. I never expected it. I just want to appreciate Imota City as a whole and most especially, the executive chairman who is an honorable son of the soil and his diligent Vice (Chairman). I want to say a very big thank you because N1m is not a small money in pursuit of our educational attainment in PhD.”
“I pray that the remaining years in the office will be better and I want to encourage others too, that they should go further in their educational pursuit because I know this office will do more in this regard in the next few years,” he said.
Another beneficiary, Mr Aina Olayombo, described the initiative as laudable adding that the gesture demonstrated the Hon. Benson Ayodele led administration’s commitment to education.
“It’s laudable initiative and I’m so elated to be chosen or nominated as one of the beneficiaries of this laudable initiative. It has demonstrated the chairman’s commitment to growth.
“I want to appreciate this because this will go a long way in cushioning the effect and also to help me in my academic expenses so that I’ll be able to be more dedicated to my academics and be able to further more.
‘This is unexpected and God will continue to bless the Chairman. I pray that his initiative will continue to expand. He has my support,”
A Masters’ grant beneficiary, Mr Azeez Adebola, also speaking said that the educational grants will encourage youth in Imota to study and attain higher heights.
“I must commend that it’s a very rewarding programme and very encouraging for the youths, because, we have been expecting this in a long while. It shows that the chairman cares and wants the development of the youth. This is because he has taken his time to feel what the people are feeling. I’m impressed and happy about the development.”
“Mr Aina urged the council chairman to continue on the path of implementing programmes that will have positive impacts on the people.”
