For the second year running, the caring and supportive representative of the lkorodu Federal Constituency, Rep. Babajimi Benson, has extended financial support to law graduates across lkorodu division, who are preparing to attend the Nigerian Law School, for their compulsory one year training after graduation.
The financial support, which has become an annual grant of sought, was instituted by the federal lawmaker last year, as a timely intervention to cushion the financial expenses of the law school programme on the law graduates who usually flooded his Constituency Office every year to seek financial assistance for the one year study.
This year, a total of 42 law graduates received the sum of 200,000 naira as grant for their law school programme, which was an improvement to the 30 that received the same amount last year.The third term lawmaker, who was not physically present at the presentations of the cheques for the grant to the beneficiaries, due to national assignment, was ably represented by his admirable and lovely wife, Mrs Jumoke Benson. Also at the event, which was held at the Rep. Babajimi Benson’s Constituency Office in lkorodu, was Mayor Deen Sanwoola, the Director General of the iCare Foundation, the operational platform of the lawmaker, and Alhaji Taiwo Odumbo, the Executive Secretary, Local Government Education Authority, lkorodu, who assisted Mrs Benson, in presenting the cheques to some of the beneficiaries.
Addressing the lucky beneficiaries of her husband’s Law School Study grant, Mrs Jumoke Benson said that the grant was in fulfilment of her husband’s resolve to support legal profession, stating that he has always wanted to give back to the law students, especially considering the fact that he himself studied law and he’s a professional lawyer. She stated that the financial support was provided to enable the beneficiaries cover some of their expenses for the law school programme, and ease the financial burdens for the one year study on them and their parents.
Mrs Benson urged the students to see the grant as an impetus to strive hard towards achieving their goals in life, irrespective of the challenges presently facing the country,while she added that things are already getting better under the APC led federal government.
” The reward for hardwork is more work. Regardless of what you are seeing in the society now, maybe because l am an APC member, l believe that things are improving, it might be slow and might not be as fast as we wanted it to be. But l want to tell you that if you dream big, you would achieve it, no matter what it is that you face, no matter what it is that you go through, you can actually achieve what you want to achieve. “They said that the hardest past of any journey is the first step and you have already taken the step by completing your law programme in your various universities, and now you are going to the law school.
Though, they usually said that law school is hard but you can actually do it just the same Hon Benson finished well from the law school school despite involving in an accident before his final exam, and today, he’s a member of the House of Representatives”.While describing the aspiring lawyers as the future of lkorodu, Lagos State and Nigeria, she appealed to them to engage in free legal services ( pro bono) if necessary when they start practicing, as a way of giving back to the society the same way Rep Benson is doing for them through the financial support for their law school programme. ” You are our future and the leaders of tomorrow.
If you want to appreciate this gesture that Hon. Benson is given to you, please, when you become lawyers, and you have the opportunity to represent somebody or give somebody legal advice without having to charge the person, please, do it. That is the form of passing the gesture forward”.She also assured that the annual grant would be sustained by her husband the same way he’s doing with the monthly food support programme (Apo Anu) which has been in existence since 2015.
Earlier, Mayor Deen Sanwoola said that though many law students visit the Rep. Benson’s Constituency Office every year to ask for financial support for their law school programme, the lawmaker decided to structure the process of providing the support to identify those who actually needed the assistance, and filter out the ones who are not yet ready for the law school.He emphasized that the grant is solely being provided by Rep. Benson from his personal resources and not from the government. ” But basically, I also want to inform you that what Hon. Babajimi Benson is doing is not being funded by the government, this is coming from his own private pocket. It’s his personal money. It is different when the government provides an avenue or a grant and the government says go and give it to law students in lkorodu. This is quite different. I am saying this because people regard this kind of gesture by politicians as ‘sebi owo wa ni’ (it’s our common wealth). This is not your money. If it is your money, you will hear the word facilitated which means it’s not his money but only facilitated it. But this one is being done with his own personally money, and that’s why I am emphasizing it so that you will know that he’s not providing it from any source other than from his own pocket”.Mayor Sanwoola urged the beneficiaries to use the opportunity of the financial support to make Hon Benson and lkorodu proud when they get to the law school, while also appealing to them to provide same gesture for people in future when they are in position to do so, especially through rendering pro bono services (free legal services) to people they believe are in legal jeopardy, when they start practicing as lawyers.
He also emphasized that the financial support is not a scholarship but a grant which he said could be adjusted antime based on the dictate of the economy. While responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Abdulrahman Adebanjo, thanked Rep. Babajimi Benson, for the grant and his contributions to the advancement of legal education in Nigeria. He said that the grant was special because it shows that Rep. Babajimi Benson is not leaving anyone behind in his representation.He added that lkorodu division, over the years, has witnessed transformational leadership under the representation of Rep. Babajimi Benson, which, according to him, reflects the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu. led federal government. While he assured that he and his fellow beneficiaries will not disappoint and will make good use of the grant, he prayed that God should continue to lift the lawmaker to greatness and grants him the best in life.Also appreciating the lawmaker on behalf of the beneficiaries, Tolulope Hicks, a Law graduate from the University of Lagos, also expressed appreciation for the grant, and assured that she and other beneficiaries would study hard to achieve first class grades, so as to become the pride of Rep Benson and lkorodu. In a brief interview with Oriwu Sun, Oluwatunmise Lasisi, a law graduate from the Lagos State University who was also a beneficiary of the Rep. Babajimi Benson Law School Grant, expressed her excitement for the grant and for Babajimi Benson.She described the grant as a well thought out initiative, adding that it will go along way in easing their expenses for the law school programme.
Another beneficiary, Kuti Lookman, also a law graduate from the Lagos State University, described the grant as a great initiative which he said will connect him and other beneficiaries to their dreams.He urged other politicians and wealthy individuals to take a cue from Rep.Babajimi Benson’s exemplary gesture by embarking on projects and initiatives that will connect people, particularly youths to their dreams.