According to the Coordinator of the forum, Surveyor Eegundiran Abiodun, during the presentation of the uniforms to students at Iseyin District Grammar School (IDGS), Iseyin, on Friday, said the forum has contributed towards the educational growth of the State in the past, which was recorded in the distribution of ten thousand exercise books to primary and secondary schools, provision of nose masks during the Covid-19 pandemic, supply of whiteboards and markers to schools, payment of Joint Admission And Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Examination Council (NECO) and West African Examination Council (WAEC) fees for indigent students. A socioeconomic development group, named Oke-Ogun Dynamic Forum (OODF) has distributed new uniforms to eighty-three indigent students of various public schools across the region. The gesture which was part of the group’s contribution towards the reduction of out-of-school children in the State and contribute towards stamping out societal vices among youths. According to the Coordinator of the forum, Surveyor Eegundiran Abiodun, during the presentation of the uniforms to students at Iseyin District Grammar School (IDGS), Iseyin, on Friday, said the forum has contributed towards the educational growth of the State in the past, which was recorded in the distribution of ten thousand exercise books to primary and secondary schools, provision of nose masks during the Covid-19 pandemic, supply of whiteboards and markers to schools, payment of Joint Admission And Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Examination Council (NECO) and West African Examination Council (WAEC) fees for indigent students. Among the schools where the uniforms were distributed on Thursday and Friday are Baptist Secondary School, Koso, Iseyin, Muslim Grammar School, Iseyin, Ekunle High School, Iseyin, Iseyin District Grammar School, Iseyin and Anwar-Ul- Islam High School, Iseyin. Others are Baptist High School, Ilero, Ilua Community Grammar School, Ilua, at Kajola Local Government while they visited Baptist Grammar School, Otu, Ipapo Grammar School, Ipapo, Oke-Amu Community High School, Oke Amu and Komu Baba Ode High School, School at Komu in Itesiwaju local government for the same mission. Abiodun called on people of means in the society to wake up and assist those in need, especially in the present economic situation of the country that might worsen the rate of school enrollment, as most parents may not be able to afford basic materials like uniforms for their wards. “The Okeogun Dynamic Forums, originally inaugurated in December 2018 as the Okeogun Community Development Forum, has grown significantly since its inception. “The organization, which encompasses members from 10 local governments in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State, was founded with the cardinal objectives of fostering socio-economic development, promoting peaceful coexistence, enhancing educational and welfare opportunities, supporting cultural activities, campaigning against societal vices, and promoting a culture of excellence and moral values. “Since 2019, the forum has carried out several impactful initiatives, including distributing over 10,000 exercise books to primary and secondary school students, providing nose masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, supplying whiteboards and markers to schools, paying JAMB, NECO, and WAEC fees for selected students, and organizing career talks and entrepreneurship programs. “Today marks the last day in which the forum has been distributing school uniforms to selected students in Iseyin, Itesiwaju and Kajola local governments. “We plan to extend these efforts by visiting five selected secondary schools in Iwajowa Local Government in the coming week apart to capture the envisaged eighty-three beneficiaries. “We are using this opportunity to call on people that have opportunities that these children don’t have to please assist in whatever way to complement the efforts of government to keep these children in school and thereby curb social vices that arise from their not having education,” he pleaded. Surveyor Eegundiran added that in 2024, the organization officially changed its name from Okeogun Community Development Forum to Okeogun Dynamic Forums following its registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and has since contributed towards achieving an Oke-Ogun region with viable socio-economic development.
