Education
Benue: Ex-commissioner, Olofu inaugurates N50m scholarship fund for students
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
The Senior Technical Advisor to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), David Olofu, Saturday, instituted a N50m scholarship fund for students of Benue south senatorial district otherwise known as Zone C in various tertiary institutions across the country.
The former Commissioner for Finance in Benue State under the administration of former governor Samuel Ortorm, announced the launch of the Fund at a press conference held at his Otukpo residence, Benue State.
According to him, the initiative is to address financial challenges confronting Idoma students at different tertiary institutions from the nine local government areas of Benue South.
He further stated that the gesture is to compliment the efforts of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration in providing support to the students.
It was gathered that Olofu was nominated for a chieftaincy award by the Idoma Area Traditional Council for a chieftaincy title in Otukpo slated to hold Saturday, 29 June 2024 at Och’ldoma palace Otukpo.
However, two days to the ceremony, Olofu was reportedly dropped from the list of awardees on allegation that Governor Hyacinth Alia ordered Och’ldoma to remove his name.
Olofu said that he has put behind him the removal of his name from the list of the awardees by governor, Alia, adding that he would rather use the funds raised for the reception of the event, to put smiles on the faces of Idoma students.
“As you are aware, in the last couple of days, I was scheduled to be conferred with the chieftaincy title by the revered Idoma Area Traditional Council.
“And when I got the notification from his Royal Majesty, the Och’Idoma, I informed all my friends and associates, my political party and also constituted the central planning committee to make sure that we have a successful confirmation ceremony.
“Less than 48 hours to the event, I got notification that that will no longer be the case. In the meantime, my friends, colleagues and associates had supported me to make sure that this event was held hedge free.
“I have to some extent, utilized the support that was provided, but I did not exhaust what was provided and I felt that, given that, that provision had been made by them, I reached out to them and we came to a conclusion that I should apply the balance of what has been contributed to support my people in any way possible, and in consultation with my constituency and my leaders across party lines.
“So today, by the grace of God, we are using what has been contributed by my colleagues, friends and associates, to set up an Education Support Fund, under the umbrella of Apa Legacy Sustainability Initiative.
“And we have a window of about 50 million, with an initial inflow of about 20 million and a projection of 10 million per year, to reach out to all the students that will qualify for this intervention”, Olofu said.
He, however named David Salifu, a former SSG to serve as the chairman of the Board of Trustees that will administer the fund to the students.
The Board chairman, Salifu in his acceptance message, described the project as laudable and enjoined other Idoma sons and daughters to emulate the initiator of the project, Olofu.
“I accept my appointment to chair the Board of the Education Support Fund initiated by my younger brother, the immediate past Benue Finance Commissioner, David Olofu.
The President of NAIS, Comrade Vincent Odebugu expressed his gratitude to Olofu, for his charity towards the Idoma students, despite the situation.
He said, “I stand here today in appreciation and in commendation to David Olofu, for this charitable act towards the Idoma nation, of a truth, you have experienced what it takes to pass through the four walls of the university, having a track record of facing challenges while on campus.
In their separate remarks, a Chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chris Adaba Abba, and Comrade Joe Ochogwu, National President of NAIS in 1995, lauded the gesture of Olofu, urging other Idoma leaders to emulate him.
From Ajiya Ayuba, Bauchi
The Chairman of Bogoro Local Governments Area of Bauchi State, Survey Yakubu Lawi Sumi has sponsored twenty (20) students to study at the Bill and Melinda Gate College of Health and Technology Ningi.
The courses of studies at the college include Environmental health technology, pharmacy, radiology, and community health.
The chairman, Lawi Sumi said this at the council chamber of the local government area and however presented the admission letters to the twenty students.
He said that the twenty students were selected from all the 13 Ward that formed the local government area.
He urged the beneficiaries to read well and become the best students in their various departments for the development of Bogoro local government.
The council chairman, Sumi promised to give maximum support to the twenty students till they graduate from the college.
By Cyprian Ebele, Onitsha
Civil Liberties Organization, CLO Anambra State branch, Monday, applauded Governor Charles Soludo for extending free education in the state to Senior Secondary Schools three in all public schools in the state.
Recall that last year when Gov.Soludo announced free education to JSS3, CLO appealed to him to extend such a benevolent gesture to Senior Secondary and Mission Schools.
According to the CLO state chairman, Evangelist comrade Vincent Ezekwueme, “This good gesture will help tremendously in the education of our children, reduces financial burdens on parents at this economic meltdown, reduces out of school children and rekindles people’s hope, trust and confidence in government.
In a press statement signed and issued to newsmen in Onitsha by Ezekwueme and his secretary, Chidi Mbah, who were flanked by Hyginus Udensi, treasurer,, the release was themed, “Education is better safeguard for liberties than standing army,” called on religious leaders and private school owners to emulate the humanitarian disposition of governor Soludo by reducing drastically outrageous school fees.
“They should reciprocate the government and citizens’ great investment in those schools and make them accessible,affordable and reliable,” CLO stated.
It stressed the need for the state government to regulate the functions of the mission and private schools with a view to curtailing the school fees paid by the pupils and students.
“It is highly despicable and detestable that the government pays salaries and allowances including pensions and gratuities of teachers in Mission schools yet allows them to extort and exploit parents and students.
“It is unbelievable that one of the Mission Schools in Onitsha collected above #300,000 from students who graduated from JSS3 in the same school to enrol into SSS1 last year without any government intervention or sanction .
“The same school this year has skyrocketed the fees to little above #400,000 whereas new students pay nearly #500,000.’it is of prime importance to note that if urgent and immediate steps are not taking to remedy the pathetic situation, laudable aim of handing over schools to Missions will be defeated,” CLO stated.
Recall that CLO had last year drew the attention of the Governor and government of Anambra State to the complaints, lamentations and predicaments with regards to outrageous and inhuman school fees in Mission Schools.
“We appeal to Soludo to dispatch his Hon.Commissioner for Education with the immediacy and urgency it deserves, to visit all Mission Schools in the State for on the spot assessment and fact finding mission.
” CLO, Anambrarians and residents remain eternally grateful to you for four greatest democratic dividends you bequeathed to Anambrarians, citizens and residents,free medical care for pregnant women, free education up to SSS3, an end to provisions of handwork and unauthorized levies in all public schools and promise to start payment of new minimum wage from October.
“We reiterate our earlier appeal to Governor Soludo to establish primary and secondary schools along Mba Farm,3-3, Nsugbe, Nkwelle axis to help tackle permanently, problem of out of school children as parents of those children cannot afford exorbitant fee in private schools because no government school in the said axis except Oyolu Primary School and Nkwelle Community High School, which are inadequate in such highly populated areas,” CLO stated.
…award scholarships, Cash to 4 students for Winning president’s national debate Championship
By, Chinelo Kodilichukwu Enugu
The governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, has awarded scholarships up to university level as well as cash rewards to the four representatives of the state, who also won the 25th edition of the President’s Inter-Secondary School Debate Championship in Abuja.
This was even as the victorious students predicated their victory on the governor’s commitment and huge investment in education, noting that Enugu State was hitherto unable to participate in the competition for over ten years due to lack of support.
The victorious contingent is made up of Emmanuella Chukwuma of Holy Rosary College, Enugu; Chiamaka Okwuibe of Queen’s School, Enugu; Goodness Chinedu Chiemerie of St. Patrick’s College, Emene, Enugu; and Chibuikem Ukadike of the College of the Immaculate Conception, CIC, Enugu. Mr. Malachi Eze of CIC and Mrs. Joy Agbala of the Post Secondary School Management Board (PPSMB), coordinated and prepared the team.
Receiving the team, which was at the Government House, Enugu, to present the trophy to him, Thursday evening, Mbah said the victory showed that his administration’s investment in education was paying off, reiterating his government’s wealth creation drive and the non-kinetic aspect of the war on insecurity were heavily dependent on education.
“When we made the pronouncement that we were going to spend 33 percent of our budget on education; that for every N100, we will spend N33 on education, a lot of people thought it was mere posturing or perhaps to earn public acclaim. But we knew that if we are to achieve a zero per cent rate on the poverty headcount index, we must do something that is radical in our education sector.
“If we must also deal with insecurity in a non-kinetic manner, then education will be the only answer because a lot of our young people, who resort to criminality, do so because they lack skill.
“So, in Enugu State, we have taken the view that if we get education right, and if we can anchor every other thing we do in terms of development around education, we will be sure that we have the highest wealth or the highest resource in Enugu. And what you have done is a testament to the fact that we are connecting the dots rightly,” the governor said.
Commending the team for making the state proud, he announced scholarships and cash awards to them in addition to supporting them, having qualified to represent Nigeria at an international debate competition in the United States.
“We are going to make sure that we invest sufficiently in you so that you get prepared for the global event. We are also going to make sure that as you pursue your academic career, that we are going to be there with you. We are going to provide you with scholarships to pursue your university education,” he stated.
Governor Mbah commended the Chairman of the PPSMB, Rev. Fr. Hilary Mgbodile, for insisting on merit in selecting the team in line with his government’s philosophy.
“Merit is the driver of everything we do in this administration, even with the way we set up our team. We recognised that we have laudable ideas and vision, but if the selection of the team was towards politics, then we would have failed from the beginning. Therefore, we made sure we went for the best of our best.
“We are going to continue to double down on our investment in the education sector. We want to make sure that when a reference is made on Enugu, then we will be referencing Enugu’s smart kids. We will not be talking about Nigeria and the world without talking about Enugu children,” he said.
Presenting the trophy, the team captain, Emmanuella Chukwuma, thanked the governor for prioritising education in the state.
“Our achievement is a testament to the expected fruits of the huge investment you are making in education. It also testifies to the enormity of talents in Enugu State education system and the intellectual process of our young people. As you rightly emphasised in your address during your 100 days in office, “education is the key to unlocking the potential of the youth and driving economic growth,” she stated.
She assured the governor and the state that the team would not let them down in the international competition in the USA and their future pursuits.
Meanwhile, speaking to Government House correspondents, Rev. Fr. Mgbodile, also commended the governor for the huge investments in education and his philosophies of transparency and meritocracy.
He noted that the students were not handpicked, but emerged through a statewide debate competition in their respective zones.
Education
Akpabio harps on skill acquisition, peaceful coexistence between IMP, host community in Akwa-Ibom
By Maxwell Nwafor, Akwa-ibom
The rector of Ibom Metropolitan Polytechnic, (IMP) Nnamonso Akpabio has emphasized the need for the peaceful coexistence between the institution and the host community, Atan Offot, Uyo Akwa Ibom State.
The Nations News Nigeria reports that the polytechnic launched two weeks entrepreneurship capacity building, skill training as well as free medical outreach for its host community.
Flagging off the exercise at the campus hall, Akpabio said the programmes were ways to reciprocate the peaceful and supportive gesture of the host communities since the inception of the institution.
According to him, “this exercise was motivated by peace and support enjoyed in this community (Atan Offot) by the institution since it was established. A question came up from one of the management meetings held in this institution,”what can we give back to the community as corporate social responsibility?”
“It was resolved that a two-week entrepreneurship capacity building and skill training with free medical services be organized to reciprocate the gesture, that is the reason we are gathering here today.”
Akpabio who harped on the importance of skill acquisition even at the global level said such was the reason Nigerian Polytechnics put it (skill acquisition) at the centre stage.
He said the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) having noted the importance of skill development added a Mandatory Skills Qualification (MSQ) as a requirement for graduation for all newly reviewed National Diploma and Higher National Diploma Curricular.
“Mandatory Skills Qualification is a new requirement for all Diploma Programmes and is a new skill requirement to be attended before graduation. This will greatly enhance employability.” Akpabio added.
He, therefore, commended the proprietor of the institution, Victor Utong for his initiative in engendering entrepreneurial development and providing health facility that does not only provide health care services for students but for the community at large.
He also expressed optimism that the exercise would bring about better health, better lives as well as better entrepreneurs.
In his response, His Highness, Eteidung David Etuk, Village Head of Afaha Offot thanked Ibom Metropolitan Polytechnic for the kind gesture and pledged his community’s readiness to promote peaceful coexistence with the institution.
He also urged the students to maximize the opportunity saying that the skill acquisition would secure their future and make them employers of labour.
The Royal father further urged them to work hard, manage their time effectively and shun cultism.
By Uchenna Okeh, Abakaliki
The Chairman Ebonyi state scholarship board, Chief Chaka Nweze has said that the state government has released over 3 billion naira to sponsor 263 students on foreign scholarships.
Nweze disclosed this to journalists shortly after briefing the beneficiaries of the foreign scholarship at the Exco chambers, Old government house ,Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi state.
He noted that the governor, Francis Nwifuru released the 3 billion naira to the board for the sponsorship of students on masters degree.
The Chairman, Nweze, however commended the state governor for providing all necessary support to the beneficiaries of foreign scholarship, adding that the scholarship board does not have challenges as regard to the scholarship.
“We don’t have any challenges regarding the foreign scholarship because the board has already been funded by the state governor and even when we are doing national scholarship, the board was equally funded.
“The beneficiaries of foreign scholarships have been profiled and we have equally paid their tuition fees and any moment from now, their living expenses will be given to them.
“From Masters degree to doctorate degree at the end of the day, the state government will spend close to 3 billion naira.
“For the national scholarship for this year alone government will spend 15 billion and meanwhile, governor has released 10 billion for the foreign scholarship for us and it may need to release another 500 hundred million for their logistics because we have to provide them with flight tickets and visa for each student is appropriately 490 people and some of them who don’t have passport, we need to open passport for them .
“Ebonyi State government has started engaging foreign universities and even before now, I have traveled to the United Kingdom alongside with the commissioner for tertiary institutions to engage universities we are using for now and we are in touch with them and right now they have given us modius opparadi to follow.
“We have a total of 263 foreign scholarship candidates to depart to the United Kingdom by the end of this month and the first batch is 212 candidates.” He stated.
