The Lagos State government has given university scholarships to two students in the state who have the best results in the last year’s school-based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

The duo, who are both males, and from the same school, Vetland Senior Grammar School, Agege, are Abiodun Anuoluwapo Favour and Sholana Taiwo Mohammed.

While the former had distinctions in eight subjects in the exam, the latter had distinctions in seven subjects and they are both now 100- level students at the University of Lagos (Akoka) studying Medicine and Surgery as well as Chemical Engineering, respectively.

Also while Favour scored 329 out of possible 400 marks in the last year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Sholana scored 340.

They are to be given N200, 000 each year till they graduate from UNILAG five or six years time all things being equal.

Similarly, the state government has equally rewarded nine other students who won one prize or the other in the various national and international academic competitions held in the last one year, and one of them from a private school.

The students included Mustapha Garuba from Abibat Mogaji Millenium Senior Secondary School and Ajasa Kehinde Timilehin from Jakande Estate Comprehensive Senior College, who both won the star prize in the 2020 and 2021 Stockholm Junior Water Competition, respectively, and Divine Ebere from Vetland Senior Grammar School, Agege and Olajide Akorede and Samuel Seidu from Brainfield College (a private school) who won the first position in the National Physics Competition for 2020 and 2021 respectively.

Others are Oladipupo Marvelous from Government Technical College Agidingbi and Samuel Seidu again from Branifield College who won 2021 Best Critical Thinker in the African Leadership Academy competition and second position in the 2021 Oluwole Awokoya Chemistry Competition, respectively

They have all received their prizes which include certificates of recognition, trophy, laptop, and cash gift as applicable, on Friday, at the Conference hall of the state’s ministry of education in Ikeja.

In her remarks at the event after presenting them with their prizes and announcing the N200,000 scholarship for the two Unilag students, the state Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, commended each of them and their teachers for their outstanding performances.

She urged them to remain focused on, and be committed to, their academic pursuits and other legitimate activities expected of them as they journey along.

She said the state government and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and herself, in particular, are proud of them, asking them not to allow anything to derail them from the path of excellence they have chosen.

Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Abayomi Abolaji, said the state government would continue to support and reward students at all levels who stand out from others.

He said the achievement of each of the students was an indication of their dedication to their academic pursuits and they should not relent on that.