Ebonyi UK Union Gives 68 Underprivileged Students Scholarships

Ebonyi State Union in the UK has granted scholarships to sixty-eight Ebonyi State students in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

The 13 Local Government Areas of the State provided students with N50,000.00 grants.

The President of Ebonyi State Union in the UK, Mr Chukwuemeka Umoke, represented by the immediate past President, Dr Nnanna Elias Igwe, said it was part of the Union’s efforts to support education in the state at the grant’s official disbursement at Ebonyi Shopping Mall yesterday.
He said the beneficiaries were chosen on merit without favoritism.

Igwe, an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the 2023 general election, said the programme had become an annual event to help Ebonyi State students in tertiary institutions.
He said: “All of you who received this grant should know that your application was selected. No favouritism was involved. Sometimes, if something like this wants to happen, it’s based on who you know, but not this time. I’m confident none of the beneficiaries had met me or contacted me throughout the selection process.

Ebonyi

We do things for others to copy. Before this programme, we circulated information in all LGAs and selected five applicants per LGA.

“The President told me to use this money well. The money may be little, but its donors are not government officials. From their own pockets. This supports Ebonyi State’s underprivileged students. Previous recipients of such support improved their lives and helped their families. Try to copy them.”
Igwe added that the Union got 1444 applicants but chose five per local government area and three unique instances after thorough screening.
“You’re lucky to be chosen. We carefully reviewed 1444 applications and selected five people per local government, 65 for the 13 LGAs. Two of the three unusual cases are physically challenged, and the other was a previous education grant recipient who lost entrance, making 68 people who benefited, Dr. Igwe added.

Dr. Mike Abani, the event’s chairman and pioneer President of the Union, praised the Union for always setting an example.
He advised the recipient to use the grant wisely.

The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Professor Amari Omaka, SAN, represented by Mr. Agha Obinna, commended the Union for the initiative and urged other Unions to follow suit, while stating that the state government was committed to providing accessible and high-quality education.

The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Prince Oguzor Offia Nwali, the lawmaker representing Ezza South State Constituency, Hon. Friday Ogbuewu, and the State Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Comrade Nwafor Samson, praised the Union for the initiative and urged beneficiaries to use the grant.

The benefited pupils and their parents took turns speaking at the ceremony, thanking Ebonyi State Union in the UK for the nice gestures and promising to use the money.

Source: Independent.ng