The Badagary West Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos has presented 100 free General Certificate of Education forms (GCE) to indigent students aspiring to take the examination.

The council chairman, Joseph Gbenu, distributed the forms to the beneficiaries in Badagry on Tuesday.

He called on the beneficiaries to disregard the stipends they were making from menial jobs at the border and checkpoints and concentrate on their studies and other productive ventures.

Mr Gbenu urged them to pursue education by engaging in scholarships to advance their knowledge and maximise their potential for a prosperous future.

“I advise that, as young men, do not be carried away by the stipends you are earning doing some menial jobs on the borderline.

“This cannot last forever; education is the best legacy you can bequeath to your children and the nation at large.

“Face your studies and be determined to be successful,” he said.

He urged them to remain focused, ensure that they studied hard, and come out with excellent results.

The council boss explained that the initiative would be sustained as an annual event.

“It is our own way of giving back to society, hence encouraging the less privileged students and parents who could not afford to purchase the forms.

“If you have education, you’ve got everything, as it is the bedrock of human development.

“School life is just for some time; don’t use the little period in school to destroy your future after making it to the university,” he said.

The chairman advised the students to avoid bad company, smoking, and other forms of social vices capable of ruining their futures.

He said he had constituted a committee to coordinate bursary disbursement for all the students to enable them to sustain themselves and their education.

Also speaking, Remilekan Nutayi, the council’s supervisory councillor for education, said the council had recently distributed free exercise books to thousands of pupils and students in the area.

She appreciated the chairman for his commitment to the development of education in the area.

Ganiyat Lamina, the council’s head of the education Unit, said 100 students benefited from this year’s free GCE.

Mary Wus, a beneficiary, said she would do her best to come out with flying colours, adding that was the best way to encourage the government to do more.

She said this was the first time she would be enjoying such a gesture from the government.

Yusuf Rasheed, another beneficiary, said it would have been difficult for him to write the GCE examination this year if not for the kind intervention of the council.

He prayed that God would continue to bless the chairman with wisdom to lead better.

(NAN)