By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Lagos Gentry Forum has launched a scholarship support programme aimed at assisting indigent senior secondary school students in Lagos State with funding for external examination registration.
The initiative was disclosed by the Convener of the Forum, Mrs Bosede Adeniyi, during an event held on Thursday,22 January,2026 at the Medical Centre Staff Club, Lagos University Teaching Hospital.
She said the programme was designed to expand access to education and support students from low income backgrounds.
Adeniyi explained that the intervention would begin with ₦700,000 earmarked for the procurement of National Examinations Council (NECO) and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) forms for eligible students.
According to her, beneficiaries were drawn from six senior secondary schools across the state. She listed the schools as Euba Senior Secondary School, Oduduwa Senior Secondary School, Gbaja Girls Senior High School, and Gbaja Girls Senior High School.
“The scholarships are to enable beneficiaries to obtain NECO and JAMB forms,” Adeniyi said, adding that the initiative represents the forum’s first major step toward sustained interventions that promote inclusive development, civic responsibility, and democratic participation in Lagos State.
She further noted that the programme aligns with the forum’s core focus areas of health, education, and good governance, stressing that educational empowerment remains central to building a more inclusive society.
Meanwhile, delivering the keynote lecture titled “The Imperatives for Mass Participation in a Nascent Democracy: The Nigerian Experience”, the Lagos State All Progressives Congress spokesperson, Seye Oladejo, underscored the importance of active citizen engagement beyond periodic elections.
Oladejo described mass participation as citizens’ involvement in governance processes, policy discussions, and civic responsibilities, warning that democracy cannot thrive on elite decision-making alone.
He identified voter apathy, institutional distrust, socio-economic challenges, and limited civic education as major barriers to participation in Nigeria.
Nevertheless, he acknowledged that progress has been recorded over time, even as challenges persist.
He also emphasised the need for increased youth participation, cautioning that non-participation often leads to weak governance and unaccountable leadership.
“The price of democracy is eternal participation. Nigeria’s democratic destiny will be determined not by the ambition of a few, but by the engagement of many,” Oladejo said.
In her closing remarks, Adeniyi expressed concern over low voter turnout within the Medical Area, including among students and staff, suggesting that proximity to polling units may discourage participation during elections.
She therefore proposed that the government consider deploying voting booths to institutional campuses as a means of improving mass participation.
Adeniyi also disclosed plans to expand the forum’s activities to include counselling services for students as part of a broader support framework.
