Education
Oyo Pledges Continuous Reward for Hard Work in Education
By Dipo Olowookere
The Oyo State Governor, Mr Abiola Ajimobi, says his administration will continue to reward excellence in academic activities, as it sets out to revamp the academic standard of the state for greatness with appropriate policies.
He made this commitment at the recent inauguration of Oyo State Schools’ Governing Board; a new initiative to coordinate the administration of secondary schools in the state.
The event also witnessed the recognition of the best overall student in the 2015 WAEC who is an indigene of Oyo state.
The awardee, Mr David Babalola, a 200 level Medicine student of the University of Ibadan with CGPA of 7.0, flanked by his parents Prof. and Mrs Babalola stood tall as Governor Abiola Ajimobi presented him with cash award and scholarship at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.
Mr Babalola, an indigene of Saki from Oke Ogun axis of the state was described by Governor Ajimobi as one of Oyo State’s brightest minds as he came out in flying colours in the 2015 WAEC examination, scoring A1 in eight subjects including English Language and Mathematics with a total of 673.7626.
At the event, a Development Expert, Mr Michael Ale who was also made the Chairman of Jericho High School told Mr Babalola “We are very proud of you, David. To show how delighted we are with your performance, to encourage our other children to do the same, and to demonstrate our government’s commitment to excellence, I hereby announce the award of a full scholarship to you till you complete your current course of medical studies at the University of Ibadan.
“In addition, the sum of N250,000 is to be given to David in recognition of his outstanding achievement, and for bringing glory to himself, his family and the good people of Oyo State”.
Mr Ale, who gave David N100,000, pledged to do more, “I was impressed with the CV of the best student in WAEC 2015, his impressive achievement, I think the more you encourage, the more he grows in knowledge.
“I donated N100,000 to support his scholarship that was given to him by Oyo State Government and also a means of assisting the state government”.
“We shall look beyond now, in five years to see that we bring value that is necessary, the value that we expected in a public school that will look more like a private setting, especially Jericho High School brought me up to this level, it invested in me and has done a lot for me in the area of education, social interaction, ethics and moral value.
“Within the next two years the school will experience great transformation especially in the performance of the students and I can say very clearly that students can’t perform without teachers, so we are going to start our repositioning from the teachers.
“We are not going to work on Jericho High School alone, we are going to collaborate with other schools and learn from their own way, we are going to copy and imitate good things from those schools,” Mr Ale added.
It would be recalled that the Oyo State Government also recently rewarded 26 pupils from various schools who have represented the state in various National competitions for being good ambassadors.
Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adeniyi, who presented the gifts to the 26 pupils for their excellent performances in Mathematical Association of Nigeria (MAN), Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), competitions in Ibadan stated that there is no amount of time, energy and money that can be regarded as too much on Education.
According to the commissioner, “Education as we all know is a veritable tool and instrument to alleviate and subsequently banish ignorance and poverty, whatever is devoted to education therefore multiplies in turn.”
Professor Olowofela reiterated the government’s policies such as stoppage of mass promotion of students, promotion based on 80 percent class attendance and above average performance, inauguration of Schools’ Governing Boards (SGB) for effective control and teaching, massive renovation of schools and supply of science equipment would help to save education from its present position.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, with 61.54 per cent of candidates obtaining credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
The Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Mr Amos Dangut, announced the results at a press briefing in Lagos on Wednesday.
Mr Dangut said 1,200,514 candidates met the benchmark for admission to higher institutions, out of the 1,950,726 candidates who sat the examination nationwide, held between April 24 and June 19.
He said 102,708 examiners were engaged in the marking exercise held at 88 marking venues across the country between 2 July and 20 July.
“Today, I am happy to inform you that all the processes leading to the release of results have been completed. It is now my pleasure to announce the release of the results of candidates who sat the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2026 in Nigeria,” he said, directing candidates to the agency’s portal to access their results.
“UPDATE: 2026 WASSCE (SC) results have been released. Generate your PIN at waec.org and check your results now on waecdirect.org,” the examination body said, noting that candidates must obtain their Serial Number and PIN before they can check their results.
To generate the required credentials, candidates are expected to visit WAEC’s official website and select the “Serial Number and PIN” option at the top of the page.
They are then required to select the appropriate examination year and diet, enter their examination number and National Identification Number (NIN), and ensure that the NIN provided is the same one used during registration for the examination.
Candidates must also provide their email address and phone number to receive a One-Time Password (OTP).
After entering the OTP, candidates can recover their Serial Number and PIN, which they can subsequently use to check their results through WAEC Direct.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Over 200 senior students of Cleggs Girls High School, Surulere, Lagos, were on July 23, 2026, engaged in practical knowledge about the risks associated with smoking, vaping, and shisha.
This engagement was made possible through a collaboration between Breathe Life Foundation and Teach Nigeria Fellow.
Participants were students aged 15–19 years. They were also informed about the misconception that shisha is a safer alternative to cigarettes or other substances.
Through an engaging and interactive discussion, students explored the influence of peer pressure and learned practical strategies for making healthier, more informed lifestyle choices.
They also gained a better understanding of common environmental triggers of asthma and other respiratory conditions, including cigarette smoke, generator fumes, bush burning, mosquito coil smoke, candles, charcoal, and firewood.
The session highlighted an important reality: young people may not always recognise how seemingly routine lifestyle choices and environmental exposures can gradually affect their respiratory health, quality of life, and long-term wellbeing.
For Breathe Life Foundation, this reinforces the importance of shifting the conversation from treatment to prevention through awareness and education.
By equipping young people with the knowledge to identify risks and make healthier choices early, the foundation is helping to build a generation that is more conscious of – and better prepared to protect – its respiratory health.
The organisation said it is dedicated to advancing respiratory health, an often-neglected public health priority. Healthy lungs are essential to life, yet respiratory diseases remain among the world’s leading causes of death and disability, even though many are preventable and treatable.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) schemes, the Obajana Plant of Dangote Cement Plc has distributed some educational materials to some pupils in Kogi State.
The items shared to the beneficiaries included school bags, exercise books, writing materials, water bottles, and other essential learning aids aimed at enhancing the learning experience of the pupils and preparing them for the next academic session.
The General Manager for the Social Performance Department of Dangote Cement at Obajana Plant, Mr Ademola Adeyemi, said the materials were donated days after Dangote Cement distributed similar education materials to pupils in public schools in its catchment communities of Oyo, Iwaa, Obajana and Apata; and commissioned a multi-million-naira hospital in Obajana, which added to the growing list of social investments that includes an earlier hospital project in Iwaa and Oyo Communities.
He noted that, over the years, the company has invested billions of naira in a wide range of social programmes for host communities, including empowerment programmes, road construction, and potable water projects, and it remains resolute in its commitment to sustaining and expanding its interventions.
He noted that the company’s corporate social responsibility programmes are aligned with government development priorities and are implemented through sustained, mutually beneficial partnerships.
“The intervention was informed by findings from a needs assessment conducted by Dangote Cement. During the assessment, it was observed that several pupils attended school without school bags, while others carried their books by hand. It was also discovered that many students lacked essential learning materials such as exercise books, pens, pencils, and other basic learning materials,” the cement firm said.
The Head Teacher of UBE LGEA School, St. Luke Model II, Adankolo, Lokoja Local Government Area, Mr Abubakar Sanni, expressed profound appreciation to the management of Dangote Cement for the gesture.
The Head Teacher expressed gratitude to the Group President of the conglomerate, Aliko Dangote, for extending the company’s educational support programme beyond its host and impacted communities to schools located at the state headquarters.
The beneficiaries, school management, parents, and community stakeholders expressed gratitude to Dangote Cement for the timely intervention and prayed for the continued growth and success of the company in its efforts to improve lives and support sustainable community development.
