From Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
Kabba township stadium was over the weekend turned into a prayer ground as parents of indigent students showered prayers on member representing Yagba federal constituency, Hon Leke Abejide for paying WAEC fees of students from outside his constituency
The Lawmaker had committed over #120 million to pay WAEC fees for students of final year students in public schools in his Yagba federal constituency and also in kabba – bunu/ ijumu federal constituency which is outside his own constituency in this year alone
At the weekend, Hon Leke Abejide went round some of these schools located in Okebukun, Iluke, Aiyetoro – g edde, Kabba, Iyara, Ekinrin Adde and Iyamoye where he handed the cheques to the respective principals on behalf of the benefitting students .
At the kabba centre, where more than 10 secondary schools gathered, Abejide doled out cheques worth over #11 million with St Monica’s college, kabba taking #2. 3 million, St Augustine’s college, kabba #1. 9 million LG secondary school, Otu- Egunbe #2.9 million and St Barnaba’s College, Kabba taking #1.026 million among the 39 secondary schools captured for the payment of the WAEC fees.
Addressing the students, the Lawmaker said by last weekend alone, 2, 015 students were paid the WAEC fees including the administrative charges brought by the kogi state ministry of Education and added that the parents will not need to pay any dime again for their children this year
The Reps member who said he has been paying WAEC fees of students in Yagba Federal Constituency in the last five years even before he joined partisan politics said he decided in this year to extend the good gestures to other federal constituencies in the Kogi west senatorial district.
He said the money allocated for the WAEC payment was his own personal funds and not that of government which he said was aimed to cushion the plights of parents and students and not aimed at scoring cheap political point saying he was making the payment purely on humanitarian ground without considerations to party leanings , tribe or religion.
While recalling how he had to labour in the farm for people inorder to get just #125 to pay for his WAEC fees during his secondary school days, he said inspite of that challenge of excruciating poverty, he still came out as best student of his set and urged the students to face their studies squarely to make enviable marks for their lives
The lawmaker however said he started the WAEC payment when he was not elected into any position, but that he was able to sustain the WAEC payment through the platform of the ADC of which he was elected into the National Assembly and urged the people to vote for all the ADC candidates in next month general elections.
Those in the entourage of the Lawmaker were top politicians in the area including the ADC senatorial
candidate, Dele Williams, the Kabba-Bunu/ Ijumu Reps candidate, Architect Salman Idris and the Kabba- Bunu House Assembly candidate, Ayodeji Olumudi.