No fewer than 122 students of Balogun Gambari District of Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State at the weekend benefited from various empowerment schemes initiated by the Balogun Gambari Youth Movement (BAGYUM) and sponsored by the Accountant-General of the state, Alhaji Sulaiman Dare Ishola.

The empowerment programme captured 122 indigent students of Gambari area who are schooling  in various institutions from primary to tertiary levels with aids ranging from payment of school fees, provision of school uniforms, payment of JAMB, WAEC / NECO, NABTEB forms among others.

It was a day of joy and dream fulfilled for the parents and guardians of the beneficiaries last Sunday as the number one Accountant in the state of harmony extended hand of fellowship to the sons and daughters of his area to the tune of over N500,000 principally to assist some parents who might not be able to effectively shoulder the responsibility of their children's education programmes.
The presentation of cash and school uniforms which also featured a special prayer for the newly appointed political office holders who are indigenes of Gambari District, comprising Ibagun, Gambari I, Gambari II and Zango wards, was held at Karuma Primary School,llorin, the state capital.

Going through the breakdown of the empowerment, 15 pupils each from selected four primary schools were provided with school uniforms. The primary schools are Okesuna Primary school, Okelele primary school, karuma primary school and Bukola Saraki Junior Secondary school, Amule area. Sixty uniforms were provided at the rate of N60,000.

At the Senior Secondary level, N5,000 each was presented to 20 students to settle their school fees while another set of 18 students were given N11,000 each to obtain WAEC/ NECO/NABTEB forms. Similarly, 12 indigent students were also presented with N5,000 each to obtain JAMB forms.

At the tertiary category, the sum of N10,000 was presented to 12 students each who are schooling in various tertiary institutions across the state. The 12 indigent students were picked from the University of Ilorin, Kwara polytechnic, College of Education Ilorin, College of Education Oro, Muhideen College of Education, Nana Aisah College of Education, Ilorin as well as College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies (CAILS), Ilorin. With this breakdown, 60 primary school pupils were assisted while 62 others were empowered in various forms bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 122 with financial implication of about N540,000.

Assistance of this nature is very touching as it apparently has direct positive impact on the lives of the beneficiaries. Who were tremendously happy with the gesture. The initiative as jointly mapped out by the association and the state Accountant-General was very timely, helpful and should be commended and appreciated.

Interestingly, the choice and selection of the beneficiaries by the BAGYUM was strictly based on the content of who is actually in need of assistance. This explained why none of the children of the organizers or their relatives was considered for the empowerment.

Mallam Sulaiman Idris, the BAGYUM President, told the gathering that the association was very prudent in the management of the money given to the association by the AG and also employed principle of transparency, honesty and God fearing as the hallmark of the distribution.

Mallam Isiaka Umar was full of praises at the occasion as his son was considered for the empowerment under the tertiary institution category. Umar, a blind man from Gambari ward 1, described the gesture as timely, helpful and supportive.
"I'm really overwhelmed with the assistance. If this kind of association is all over the places, the society would have been a better place for the less privileged to live" Umar said.

He commended the donor and leadership of the BAGYUM for touching lives positively and prayed God to lead them through in all their private and official undertakings.
Speaking on the occasion, the donor, Alhaji Sulaiman Dare Ishola who was represented at the event by Alhaji Umar Itadu described the gesture as part of his contribution towards the progress and advancement of the society that made him.
He described education as a potent tool to achieving greatness in life, hence explaining why he directed his searchlight on the development of education of the young ones in the area.

The Accountant-General commended the leadership of the association for the judicious management of the fund by making sure that the gesture got to the targeted indigent students in the area.

The pioneer Chairman of the BAGYUM, Alhaji Al-Hameen who is Director, Personnel, Finance and Supply of the state Ministry of Environment thanked the association and the donor for collectively bringing smiles to the faces of the underprivileged.

Al-Hameen called on the youth of the area to attach utmost priority to BAGYUM describing the association as a veritable avenue to bringing  development to the community.

In his lecture on the occasion, Dr Sayuti Ologele of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, admonished political officeholders and well-meaning Nigerians to always appreciate God's favour on them by giving to the needy around them.
In his address, the Eqpassociation president, Mallam Sulaiman Idris said empowerment was part of the association's frantic effort to contribute its quota to development of the area.

He also disclosed that the association would launch its Magazine on the 15th of this month where selected youth of the area whom the association has sponsored on vocational training such as tailoring, fashion designing and computer training would be empowered to enable them jump-start their business.

The special prayer for the newly appointed political officeholders wad led by Mallam Folohunsho Olesin. The recipients of the prayer included Dr Amuda Kannike, Alhaji Toyin Olokoba, Alhaji Abubakar Jimoh Maimasa, Alhaji Shafi and Alhaji Yusf Al-Busra.

The presentation of money and school uniforms was witnessed by representatives of benefiting schools, parents and relatives of recipients as well as invited guests who lauded the kind and rare gesture of the donor, Alhaji Sulaiman Dare Ishola.