No fewer than 65 final-year students of Oginibo Secondary School, Oginibo, in Delta State, have received a major academic boost following the full sponsorship of their National Examination Council (NECO) registration fees by the State Commissioner for Works (Highways & Urban Roads), Comrade Izeze Rume Reuben, in partnership with FOOSTODEY Associates.
The beneficiaries, drawn from Oginibo community and neighbouring areas, were supported under an intervention aimed at restoring access to examination opportunities and easing the financial burden on parents.
The initiative follows the successful reactivation of the NECO examination centre at the school, which had earlier been deactivated.
The Commissioner’s attention was drawn to the situation in 2025 by his Special Assistant (Special Duties), Mr. Tisha Ejekanshe Matthew. Acting promptly, Izeze engaged the NECO Zonal Office, which led to an assessment and eventual restoration of the centre after the school met the required standards.
Building on that achievement, Izeze, alongside FOOSTODEY Associates, pledged to sponsor the first batch of candidates to sit for the examination at the reactivated centre, a promise now fulfilled.
Each candidate’s registration fee of ₦33,850 was fully covered, bringing the total sponsorship to ₦2,200,250.
Speaking during a brief address to the students at the school, Mr. Matthew, who represented the sponsors, urged the beneficiaries to justify the gesture through hard work and academic excellence.
He encouraged them to remain focused, form reading groups, and prepare diligently for the examination, noting that such support should serve as motivation for greater achievement.
In her response, the School Principal, Mrs. Evelyn Omejevwe-Ejiofor, expressed deep appreciation to the Commissioner and FOOSTODEY Associates for their timely intervention.
She noted that many of the students would have been unable to afford the registration fees without the support, describing the gesture as both impactful and life-changing.
She also commended Izeze for his consistent contributions to the school and community, including the payment of allowances for community teachers over the past two years.
However, the Principal used the opportunity to draw attention to the challenges facing secondary education in rural areas. She called on the Delta State Government to declare a state of emergency in grassroots education, citing a severe shortage of teaching staff.
According to her, the school currently relies heavily on community-hired teachers, with critical subjects such as Mathematics, Chemistry, Economics, and Physics being understaffed.
She revealed that only one teacher is currently handling Physics, stressing the urgent need for recruitment of qualified teachers to improve learning outcomes.
She further appealed to the Commissioner and his partners to sustain their support in addressing the school’s pressing needs.
The intervention has been widely hailed as a significant step toward improving access to education and strengthening academic performance among students in underserved communities.
