Son of Sachet Water Seller Achieves Best WASSCE Result in Lagos, Wins Scholarship
Seventeen-year-old Muslim Adewale, a recent graduate of Birch Freeman Senior High School in Surulere, Lagos, has achieved the best result in the 2024 WASSCE for Lagos Education District Six and has been awarded a scholarship of 500,000 naira from God’s Covenant Church of All Nations.
Chris Oyeoku Okafor 
17-year-old Muslim Adewale, a recent graduate of Birch Freeman Senior High School in Surulere, has earned the distinction of achieving the best result in the 2024 May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) within Lagos Education District Six. This outstanding accomplishment has awarded him a scholarship of 500,000 naira, funded by God’s Covenant Church of All Nations in Ikeja.
Muslim excelled in his studies, securing six A grades, a B3, and two C4s, and scored 302 out of 400 in the recent Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), an exam that many candidates found challenging. He received the scholarship during the annual merit awards ceremony held to honor exceptional students, teachers, and school administrators in the district, which includes Ikeja, Mushin, and Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Areas.
Raised by parents who have limited formal education—his father, Mr. Rasheed Adewale, is a commercial bus driver, and his mother, Mrs. Rasheedat Adewale, sells sachet water—Muslim expressed gratitude for the scholarship, which alleviates his family's financial burden as he anticipates admission to the University of Lagos (UNILAG) to study Computer Science. "This N500,000 will greatly relieve my parents," he stated, acknowledging their sacrifices for his education.
Despite their modest background, his parents prioritize education, often forgoing personal comforts to ensure that Muslim and his elder sister, an undergraduate at Lagos State University, receive quality schooling. "My dream is to become a computer scientist and positively impact my community," Muslim added, while expressing a desire for further support from organizations to ease his educational journey.
The event also recognized the achievements of 36 exceptional teachers from a pool of 800 nominees, celebrating categories such as Best Principals, Vice Principals, and outstanding students in both the WASSCE and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). Dr. Shareefah Yusuf, the Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary of Education District 6, emphasized the importance of acknowledging educational excellence and motivating future achievements.
Mr. Olusola Ajala, Chairman of Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye LCDA, who sponsored the Vice Principals' award, remarked on the government's role in fostering a culture of hard work among educators and students. He urged parents and community leaders to raise responsible children, particularly in the age of social media.
In closing, Mr. Akintoye Hassan, Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers in Lagos State, praised the initiative to reward excellence, calling it a wake-up call for those not fully committed to their responsibilities. He encouraged awardees to continue striving for further success, reinforcing the notion that recognition is achievable for diligent educators and students alike.
