Public-interest lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has faulted claims by a member of the House of Representatives, Wole Oke, that he awarded scholarship to 1,240 indigent students in the Obokun Oriade Federal Constituency, which he represents.
In a statement published on his Facebook page on Thursday, Olajengbesi, the convener of the Imole Grassroots Mobilisation Network, a support movement advocating the re-election of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, argued that the lawmaker gave 99 youths in the constituency N8,000 each, which cannot translate to awarding scholarships to indigent youths in the area.
Olajengbesi said, “I am deeply embarrassed to read claims by Wole Oke that he has awarded scholarships to 1,240 students in Ijesa North. That statement, in its entirety, is an outright insult to the knowledge, intelligence, and dignity of the good people of Oriade/Obokun.
“Wole Oke only paid 8,000 naira for 99 children who cannot afford to go to proper school because their parents are poor to train them as artisans.
“Let us be clear, this is not scholarship, it is an attempt to humiliate the poor and keep them in a cycle of dependency while projecting a false image of empowerment.”
Olajengbesi, who is also a hopeful for the Obokun Oriade Federal Constituency seat in Osun State ahead of the 2027 general elections, said Oke has failed to deliver meaningful dividends of democracy to the people of Obokun Oriade in the last 24 years since he assumed the seat.
He said, “For 24 years, Wole Oke has occupied the seat representing Oriade/Obokun. Within that time, he should be able to point to at least one or ten individuals whose lives have been genuinely transformed through a verifiable scholarship initiative under his sponsorship. In the last 24 years, we should have people who are now independent and doing well as a result of Wole Oke’s scholarships, yet none can be identified. The entire 24 years have been a waste for Ijesa North.
“I further challenge Wole Oke to publish his tax records before 2003 and prove to the world that he had earned anything meaningful prior to holding public office. He now has British International School in Abuja, Ibadan, Lagos, and Osogbo. If education is truly his priority and he genuinely loves the people, he should provide full scholarships for the children of Oriade or Obokun in his schools and allow them access to real opportunities that can transform their lives.”
He cautioned that tokens branded as scholarship amount to an insult to humanity, particularly to families who genuinely seek educational opportunities for their children.
Efforts to reach Oke on Olajengbesi’s claim proved abortive as of the time of filing this report.
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