Wale Jagun & Mariam Akinloye
The founder of the RHODA Youth Centre, Asiwaju Rotimi Erogbogbo, on Tuesday, continued the 2026 edition of its scholarship programme for indigent students across Ikorodu Division, with charge to parents to do more in the upbringing, and educational development of their children.
Erogbogbo stressed the need for parents to be more responsive so that the organisation that is extending gesture to their children’s education can work effectively in supporting the children.
He gave the charge at the Farm Settlement Primary School, Odogunyan, the venue of the distribution of the second edition of scholarships for pupils in Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area (LCDA), while expressing his disappointment at how parents pushed children who are not of age to school and how some schools failed to adhere to policy of the scholarship.
About 30 pupils also benefited from the RHODA team’s gesture in Ikorodu North and Ikorodu West LCDA earlier.
The team visited on Tuesday, following the kick- off of the second phase of the scholarship started last year which targets resumption period to present school uniforms, bags, exercise books, sandals, Biro, pencil and other educational support materials to two indigent pupils across all the primary schools in Ikorodu Division, who are expected to receive the gesture till they finished their primary education.
The exercise started last week at Ikorodu LG and IGBOGBO/Baiyeku LCDA.
”I am so much disappointed in you parents, but some of you are trying. We actually asked for pupils from Primary Two last year, not Primary One, but you can see how schools change plan of an organisation, while some of you just push your children to school when they are not ready.”
”If you ask most of these pupils what they have learnt in school, they can’t answer them because they cannot yet comprehend anything and for this, I am not happy. They have learnt nothing.
We are able to see some pupils that are able to spell and pronounce in the other school that we are coming from, but we cannot find any here.”
He again expressed his disappointment at an unkempt boy who was picked on the road last year for the educational support but he is still coming to school with tattered clothes despite being presented with new school uniforms.
”I picked this little boy myself on the road last year wearing tattered uniform, we gave him new uniforms and it is disapointing to come this year and see him again in tattered clothes. What parents are we?” Erogbogbo asked.
He added, “It is not fair. We came up with this initiative to help them, but parents also have to be very helpful.”
While informing the parents in Ikorodu North LCDA that the council is yet to fulfill the monetary pledge for the parents of the beneficiaries made at the presentation of the first edition, Asiwaju Erogbogbo assured them that RHODA is still in discussion with the chairman for the fulfilment of the pledge.
He pleaded with the parents to be more involved in their children’s education and requested to see changes next time.
”I want to plead with you to help us, so that when we are meeting again we will see changes in these children. This is the only reason that we will not cancel the programme. We want to see these set of pupils through Primary Six before we pick another set.”
”I don’t want to see this young boy attending school with other children in tattered clothes, and not having execise books, bag, pencils to work with and other educational materials. That’s why we are making all these available for them.
”We are begging you to help us take care of these children. Parents, let us see these children and be happy; don’t let us see them in bad ways again. We are making efforts, unfortunately, these are not yielding positive results.”
”We came with good intention to assist these children. This is not a show and please, help us take care of them, ” he added.
Erogbogbo said the team will be going to other schools in Ikorodu North LCDA like Maya and others that cannot join because of long distance.
A member of the RHODA team, Mrs Maureen Awulonuh, speaking at C & S Primary School, venue of the distribution for the beneficiaries in Ikorodu West LCDA, charged the pupils to take care of their educational material items.
She emphasised that the team is about educational development of pupils and teachers which is why two editions of workshops have been organised to improve capacity of the educators while they are also embarking on the second edition of the scholarship for the benefit of pupils.
By Thursday, RHODA team is expected to conclude the second edition distribution of the educational support with visit to Ijede and Imota LCDAs, where the group will be following up with pupils on its scholarship list.
