JID Academy Awards Scholarships to Students in Ikorodu, Extends Support to FUNAAB Undergraduate

JID Academy in Ikorodu has awarded full and partial scholarships to students after its fifth annual examination, with support extended to a FUNAAB undergraduate.

More than 50 students from schools within Ikorodu and its surrounding communities participated in the fifth annual scholarship examination organised by JID Academy, Gberigbe, Ikorodu, Lagos State, on Saturday.

The examination is part of the academy’s scholarship programme, which provides full and partial scholarships to students selected through academic performance and talent.

Speaking with Nigeria Education News after the examination, the Director of JID Academy, Johnson Idowu Jeffrey, said the initiative was established five years ago to support children who may have the ability to succeed academically but face financial barriers to accessing education.

Jeffrey, who has a background in biochemistry and an interest in teaching, said his personal experience influenced the decision to establish the programme.

He recalled that he once had to repeat Junior Secondary School 1 after his parents were unable to raise ₦8,000 required for his education at the time.

“I repeated JS1 just because of ₦8,000. My parents could not afford to send me to school, so I had to wait an extra year at home,” he said.

According to him, the experience made him determined to create an avenue through which children in his community could receive quality education without their families being overwhelmed by school fees.

The scholarship programme currently operates through two major categories.

Students seeking the full scholarship sit for examinations covering Mathematics, English Language and composition, with successful candidates selected based on their performance.

The academy also operates a talent-based scholarship scheme covering areas such as music, dance, creative writing, public speaking and sports.

Jeffrey said two students moving from Primary 5 to JS1 and two students moving from JS3 to SS1 would be selected for full scholarships from this year’s examination, while two others would receive partial scholarships through the talent category.

The full scholarship covers tuition from JS1 through the student’s JAMB stage.

Since the programme began, the academy has awarded full scholarships to more than 12 students and partial scholarships to 18 others, according to the director.

For some beneficiaries, the intervention has provided relief beyond the classroom.

Darlington Success, an SS3 student who joined the academy in JS1, said the scholarship had allowed her to concentrate on her studies without worrying about school fees.

She said the support had also reduced the financial pressure on her parents, who have other children to cater for.

Another beneficiary, Michael, who received the scholarship in JS1 after joining the school in Primary 3, said continuing his education would have been difficult for his family without the scholarship.

Onakoya Oluwabukunmi said the programme had enabled her to focus more on her studies because she no longer had to worry about being unable to write examinations because of outstanding fees.

She also identified the academy’s competitions and other activities as factors that had helped students develop beyond academics.

For Ojo Glory, who received the scholarship in JS3 and is now in SS2, the programme has helped improve her confidence.

She said encouragement from teachers pushed her to participate more actively in school activities despite initially being nervous.

Another beneficiary, Onakoya Itunuoluwa, said the scholarship had eased the financial burden on her family for four years and helped her develop confidence and leadership skills.

The programme has now reached a new milestone with Itunuoluwa becoming its first beneficiary to receive support beyond secondary education.

Jeffrey said she gained admission to study Computer Science at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), after scoring 298 in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

He said the academy would extend her scholarship to the undergraduate level and cover her tuition.

The development, he said, represented an important stage in the programme’s five-year history and demonstrated the potential impact of sustained educational support.

Students who participated in Saturday’s examination also described the opportunity as significant.

Praise, a candidate from Graceford Schools, said winning the scholarship would bring her closer to her ambition of becoming a medical doctor.

She said she learnt about the opportunity through someone close to her mother and registered for the examination without paying a fee.

Adeniyi Aduramigba, a Primary 5 pupil from Jovics International School seeking admission into JS1, said he was confident about his performance after his parents registered him for the examination.

Parents who accompanied their children to the examination venue also expressed their hopes for the scholarship.

Akeem Oloko said he stayed at the venue to support his child and expressed confidence in the child’s chances of securing the scholarship.

Another parent, Cecilia, said the examination was her daughter’s first external examination and expressed optimism about her performance.

Beyond the scholarship programme, JID Academy currently has more than 400 students and about 30 teachers, according to Jeffrey.

He said the scholarship scheme is currently funded by him, although the academy is open to partnerships with individuals and organisations interested in supporting access to education.

The academy also provides tuition-free scholarships for children of its staff.

Jeffrey said the long-term objective was to ensure that financial circumstances did not prevent talented children from pursuing their education.

As the academy marks five years of the scholarship programme, the progress of its first beneficiaries is beginning to provide an indication of what the initiative could mean for students who continue to receive the support.