The Nation Newspaper

Tag: BURSARY

  • Anambra’s students to Obiano: give us bursary

    Students of Anambra State origin in tertiary institutions have called on the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano, to alleviate their plights through bursary payment.

    The students said the bursary would also serve as an encouragement for their parents, guardians and younger ones in their quest for higher education.

    They spoke yesterday in Awka, under the aegis of the National Union of Anambra State Students (NUASS).

    It was during the union’s convention to elect a new set of executives to run its affairs for the next one year.

    The students said they had tried to get the attention of the governor to pay the bursary to no avail.

    NUASS’ outgoing President Comrade Israel Anozie said his ultimate goal would be to see the government pay members of the union, the same way other states pay their indigenes in higher institutions.

    Anozie said: “Within my tenure as the president of this union, I was able to achieve recognition for the group.

    “Initially, the body was not recognised by the state government. But during my tenure, I was able to get recognition for the group”.

  • Bursary of pain

    Bursary of pain

    Benue State Government is paying its students bursary. But the beneficiaries are complaining about the disbursement method. MSONTER ANZAA (300-Level Medicine, Benue State University) writes on the challenges faced by the beneficiaries.

    MID  complaints, students of Benue State origin have been receiving their bursary for 2010 and 2011.

    Many beneficiaries are displeased over the modality of payment.

    In the past,  staff of the Benue State Scholarship Board visited schools to pay beneficiaries. But the ongoing exercise is being conducted through a bank.

    Some of the students are, however, not happy with the choice of Sterling Bank. The bank only has one branch in Makurdi, making payment slow and cumbersome.

    When the students received the account number, they rushed to the bank, but the slow procedure caused a bottleneck. When our correspondent visited the bank on Otukpo Road last Tuesday and Thursday, its premises was crowded with students, queuing in the sun and struggling to get inside.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that  only one cashier was assigned to attend to the students. There was a stampede on Thursday when the students overpowered two security officials  at the bank’s entrance and forced their way inside.

    Besides, getting an account opening form from the bank is a problem.

    But outside, a nearby computer centre is making brisk business, selling the form to students.  CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the bank could not provide the form to the crowd of students, compelling it to stop issuing the form.

    The business centre got copies of the form and is selling  them to students for N15. A certain electricity payment bill was also sold to students. Electricity bill is one of the requirements for opening the account.

    A student, who bought the electricity bill, said: “I have provided every document required to open the account, including my voter’s card, but the bank official said I must provide a PHCN bill which I don’t have. I had to buy from the shop.”

    Another student said he was advised by the screening officer to go and photocopy the bill.

    “If everyone is bringing the same copy of PHCN bill, which they do not even own, how does it help with identification?” he queried.

    Some students, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, lamented the stress they were subjected to, saying the bank process has compounded their difficulty in getting the bursary. They also complained about the compulsory N1,000 being deducted by the bank as the minimum balance to maintain the accounts.

    Students said the accounts were opened without their consent, wondering why they were been charged for maintaining the account.

    A student, who pleaded for anonymity, said when he received a message from the bank that his account had been successfully opened, he deleted the message, thinking it was a scam message. “I was surprised when I received another message later that the account had been credited, I decided to go to the bank to verify what was happening,” he said.

    Other students,who did not receive account alert, were at the bank to retrieve their account numbers and activate the accounts ahead of payment.

    Some students, who complained that they did not receive any notification from the bank said they were told upon enquiry that their names had not yet been sent by the scholarship board.

    The students receive N10,000 bursary for accumulated years. The beneficiaries include graduates and Corps members, who were students at the time the bursary application was processed.

  • Bursary of controversy

    Bursary of controversy

    A student, Ambrose Ezenweani, and the Delta State Bursary and Scholarship Board are quarrelling over funds disbursement.  He is alleging fraud, which the board denies.  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which he accuses of taking sides in the matter, says he will soon have his day in court. ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA, BLESSING OLISA and ADEOLA OGUNLADE report.

    •Board, student trade words over funds disbursement

    To promote education, the Delta State Government established a Bursary and Scholarship Board, which it budgets N2 billion for yearly. The board is expected to disburse the fund among students from the state in higher institutions across the country. But a student, Ambrose Ezenweani, is accusing the board of not handling the bursary aspect of its mandate well.

    Ezenweani alleged that the board and the Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof Hope Eghagha, are mismanaging the fund. But the board and Eghagha denied Ezenweani’s claim, describing him as a fraud. They said he is antagonising the board because of its refusal to meet his demand for a N3 million bribe.

    Scoffing at this claim, Ezenweani, who fired the first salvo, says he is determined to fight the “corruption”, which is denying thousands of Delta State students bursary.

    Two weeks ago, he organised a protest at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Art (B.A) in Philosophy last year. Only 10 students were said to have attended the rally. The students hid behind the big banner detailing the reason for the protest so that their shots would not be taken by video and cameramen.

    The inscription on the banner reads: “Save Delta State; help Nigeria; Delta State students protest fraud in scholarship board.” It accused the board of “opening over 23,000 fake accounts”; “payment of students’ scholarship fund into fake bank accounts”, among others.

    The protest seemed not to have enjoyed the backing of the National Association of Delta State Students (NADESSTU), UNILAG chapter. Besides, the instituion did not grant the group permission for the rally.

    The Dean of Students’ Affairs, UNILAG, Prof Kayode Amund, told The Nation: “They wrote to the Vice-Chancellor’s Office and copied my office; but they have not yet gotten approval from the management before they began the protest. So, when our security officials saw them, they had to chase them outside the university premises.”

    Ezenweani is not deterred by the low turnout. He told The Nation that a mega rally is being planned for next week to underscore his determination not to stop until something is done.

    He accused the board of siphoning scholarship funds through 23,000 fake accounts. He also accused Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, of failing to probe his allegations.

    Ezeanwani is heading for the court. His lawyer, Austin Kanu, said he would be suing the board, Prof Eghagha and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for what he called a breach of Ezenweani’s rights.

    “We are going to court very soon,” Kanu told our reporter on phone. “We are suing them all – Delta State Government, Prof Eghagha, the scholarship board and the EFCC because they are working hand- in -hand against my client. My client saw corruption in the board and was bold enough to report the matter to the EFCC; but instead of the EFCC to investigate the issue, they re-invited my client, brutalised and detained him for a week. That, to me, is a breach of his fundamental human right and we shall not take it lying low.”

    A April 10, 2012 petition to the EFCC titled: “A factual and progressive report of a case of fraud at the Delta State Bursary and Scholarship Board” by Ezenweani accused Eghagha of mismanaging the N2 billion disbursed yearly to the board by government since 2009.

    Ezenweani further alleged that Eghagha connived with bank officials to open over 23,000 accounts with fake names, passport photographs, unverified addresses, wrong phone numbers and signatures with various bank sort codes, which were approved for payment at the expense of real beneficiaries. He said Eghagha hired an incompetent Information Technology (IT) firm to facilitate the approval of the fake names for payment, many of which were published in various national dailies.

    Ezenweani, who visited the corporate headquarters of The Nation in Lagos last Monday with his friend, Yek Keme, said when he raised the alarm, the board removed the sort codes and other relevant information in subsequent publications in the dailies

    “The governor means well with the scholarship board because he foresees the future and sees the human capital that will develop Delta State in the nearest future. But these people at the board are not helping matters at all,” said Keme.

    Debunking these claims, Eghagha said the government released N600 million for bursary in 2009, adding: “By the time we were through with the bursary, we couldn’t exhaust the money and I had to refund the outstanding back to government treasury. For year 2009/2010, the approved sum was N514 million, beneficiaries were 24,000. Actual amount plus administrative charges came to N434 million. So we saved N80 million and I declared this to the executive. And I said next year, give us less N80 million. In 2010/2011, the approved amount is N643 million, beneficiaries are 28,000; actual amount was N481 million, and saving was N172million, which I declared to the executive. Except for mischievous persons, anybody in government who knows what I am doing will just laugh.”

    Eghagha also said he met the IT consultant on assumption of work as commissioner, adding: So, to say I brought him in is not true at all. Two, the e-payment was introduced to curb fraud in the system. I taught at UNILAG before I came in to office, and I can tell you, confidently, that none of my kids enjoyed the bursary. When I resumed on January 2, 2009, I found that money had been released by the state government but most students never got them. Two days after, students staged a protest. They came here and protested that they had not been paid their bursaries. I then sat them down, listened to them and asked them questions. Some of those people that protested then are employed by the state government now. They were leaders at the time and these are the people now fighting Ambrose.”

    Reacting, the board chairman, Monsignor Buchi Aninye, said he initially warmed up to Ezenweani until “he (Ezenweani) demanded for bribe.”

    He said: “The first time he (Ezenweani) came up with this, I thought he had something credible. I listened and was prepared to find out those who are responsible and how to handle them. But when I referred him to the Executive Secretary (ES) so that the two of them can come up with something, the secretary told me he was asking for money to be settled and I said forget it.

    “It was then I began to ask myself, are you sure this man is honest with what he was doing or he is just trying to get money? If he is honest, he won’t be asking for money. Actually, what he would have done is to show the ES these fake names so that we can go to the bank and investigate who these people are. Some students did that for us in the past and we were able to save some money which we refunded to the government. The students later demanded for compensation, but we told them point blank that we were not giving any compensation because the money had been given back to government. However, we promised them automatic scholarships at least to show our appreciation whether they passed the exam or not which is a prerequisite for the scholarships by the board.”

    The Executive Secretary, Mr Peter Amromanoh, said the board discovered while processing the 2008/2009 bursary that the fraud was perpetrated mostly by students acting in concert with junior members of staff in the Dean, Students Affairs (DSA) units of various institutions to inject spurious names into the lists submitted to the board. This, he said, led to the introduction of the e-payment system and a rise in bursary the following year.

    He said: “When we completed that process, we discovered that almost half of those that applied were not students. So, we saved nearly half of that money and we now recommended to government that by the following year, the bursary should be increased from N10,000 to N20,000. But the State Executive Council said since you can save almost half of this money let them start immediately. So in 2009, we started paying N20,000. Then the following year, we started the e-bursary system to be able to consolidate on what we did in our first year.”

    With the e-payment, Amromanoh said all a student needed do is to buy a N300 scratch card with which to access the website. This, he said, has stopped fraudsters.

    Amromanoh showed The Nation reporters files containing fake names, on which Ezenweani appeared. He was registered twice – one as Ezenweani Ambrose, with application number 216518 from the University of Lagos, and another as Ezenweani Ugo, with application number 222427 from Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), but with, same account number (UBA, 00890520082842).

    Amromanoh said the board has replaced the local government authentication with that of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). He said JAMB’s involvement in the exercise has been successful.

    He said: “The students complained that they cannot be going to their local government areas because of the expenses involved. Maybe, in some cases, they may have accident on the road. So, this time, we contracted it out to JAMB. We said, don’t go again; stay in your schools and register where you are. This time around, you enter our site with your JAMB registration number. The advantage is that it saves the student the stress. If you are coming from Sokoto, the amount you spend on transportation will reduce the N20,000 government is giving to you as bursary. It also saves the board the back and forth verification that we have been doing. The third advantage is that once you fill in your JAMB registration number, we can know immediately that you are a Deltan because that was what you filled during your registration. But if you are a Deltan and you enter the university through another state, you cannot get it. Two, it will show your year of entry into the university, and your course and department. So, if you are reading English, for example, it is a four- year course if you don’t enter through direct entry, you are now having six years, it will throw you out,” Amromanoh said.

    Amromanoh questioned Ezenweani’s proof of studentship since he has graduated from UNILAG, and cannot lead a protest as a non-student.

    On why the board refused to investigate the fake names, Amromanoh said that was considered unnecessary since the DSAs of the various institutions had written to the board, denying studentship of such names, and the board acted by deleting them.

    “It is not in our position to investigate names because that is the essence of sending the list. If they are not genuine students, we remove them from the list and they are not paid, and are subsequently removed from the system. The school should be able to sanction these people if they are trying to impersonate, but now, they are faceless people. Supposing they were actually paid, we will now enter the bank and investigate to know who actually took the money. But now, we didn’t lose any money.” he said.

    But Ezenweani said JAMB was included in the exercise becauase of his efforts. He accused the board of doctoring the two forms to smear him. He said the software malfunctions, making the students to start afresh once it rejects or takes them to another format when they attempt to submit.

    He denied demanding a N3 million bribe, insisting that the board has been approaching him through the EFCC for “settlement” and a job in the state civil service.

    “The EFCC invited me and said the board wanted me to be settled and that they will give me a job in the state civil service but I declined. It was after that that the EFCC invited me again and detained me for a week that I was causing problems for the state,” Ezenweani claimed.

    EFCC spokesperson Wilson Uwujaren absolved the commission of blame in the case.

    He said: “The EFCC is a law enforcement agency duly empowered by law to investigate and prosecute all economic and financial crimes. It is not a settlement agency; therefore claims that it has become a ‘middleman’, to use your words, in a case reported to it borders on mischief.”

    Giving reason for Ezenweani’s detention, EFCC said: “It is true that Ambrose Ezenweani sent a petition to the EFCC, alleging corruption in the Delta State Bursary and Scholarship Board. In the course of investigating the petition, it emerged that the petitioner is a suspect in the scam which necessitated his invitation for questioning. He made statement under caution and being a Youth Corps member, he was released to a surety, with instruction to report to the commission on a given date which he never did until his surety was arrested.

    “The investigation has reached an advanced stage as charges are already being prepared. Indeed, very soon Ezenweani will have the opportunity to pursue his litigation in court.

  • Lawmaker gives bursary to needy students

    Lawmaker gives bursary to needy students

    No fewer than 780 students of tertiary institutions from Badagry Federal Constituency benefitted from the bursary allowance given by a member of House of Representatives, Hon. Rafeequat Onaba-miro, at the Badagry Grammar School, Lagos State.

    She said the gesture was to assist parents to reduce the hardship they face while training their wards at the higher institutions of learning.

    Onabamiro said, having faced similar challenges as a student, one of the ways to give back to society is to assist needy students who struggle to receive an education.

    She noted that the lack of access to education endangers the mind and exposes it to disease. She, however, expressed disappointment that her efforts to better the lots of people have not been well complemented.

    According to her, some structures she provided to make life better for them were compromised. She said: “It is with great sadness I report that despite all counsels given and promises made by recipients of three buses for commercial transportation, these young men have run them aground within a short time.”

    She advised parents to be more responsible in the growth of their wards. “It is very important that parents guide their children because if they are not well trained at home, it will influence their conduct in the public.”

    Onabamiro maintained that the beneficiaries of the bursary award cut across the 20 political wards in her constituency. They were chosen after thorough scrutiny to ascertain that the students were actually in the institutions they claimed. “

    In the last two years and nine months, a number of economic programmes, financial and humanitarian services have been rendered for the benefit of our people. It is my hope that these programmes have bought about a positive economic return to the beneficiaries.”

    One of the beneficiaries, Sule Sego said the bursary will assist most of the students because things were really difficult. “What our House of Representatives member has done is a big relief to some of us, who are struggling to remain in the school.

    She has demonstrated that the progress of Badagry youths is in her mind.” He urged other politicians to come to the aid of youths who deserve assistance not only in their educational pursuit but setting up small-scale businesses as part of a measure to arrest the escalating insecurity in the country.

  • Lawmaker gives bursary to needy students

    Lawmaker gives bursary to needy students

    No fewer than 780 students of tertiary institutions from Badagry Federal Constituency benefitted from the bursary allowance given by a member of House of Representatives, Hon. Rafeequat Onaba-miro, at the Badagry Grammar School, Lagos State.

    She said the gesture was to assist parents to reduce the hardship they face while training their wards at the higher institutions of learning.

    Onabamiro said, having faced with a similar challenges as a student, one of the ways to give back to the society is to assist needy students who struggle to receive education. She noted that the lack of access to education endangers the mind and exposes it to disease.

    She, however, expressed disappointment that her efforts to better the lots of people have not been well complemented. According to her, some structures she provided to make life better for them were compromised.

    She said: “It is with great sadness I report that despite all counsels given and promises made by recipients of three buses for commercial transportation, these young men have run them aground within a short time.”

    She advised parents to be more responsible in the growth of their wards. “It is very important that parents guide their children because if they are not well trained at home, it will influence their conduct in the public.”

    Onabamiro maintained that the beneficiaries of the bursary award cut across the 20 political wards in her constituency. They were chosen after a thorough scrutiny to ascertain that the students were actually in the institutions they claimed.

    “In the last two years and nine months, a number of economic programmes, financial and humanitarian services have been rendered for the benefit of our people. It is my hope that these programmes have bought about positive economic return to the beneficiaries.”

    One of the beneficiaries, Sule Sego said the bursary will assist most of the students because things were really difficult. “What our House of Representatives member has done is a big relief to some of us, who are struggling to remain in the school. She has demonstrated that the progress of Badagry youths is in her mind.”

    He urged other politicians to come to the aid of youths who deserve assistance not only in their educational pursuit but setting up small scale businesses as part of measure to arrest the escalating insecurity in the country.

  • Kogi students give Wada 14 days to pay bursary

    The National Association of Kogi State Students has given the Idris Wada administration 14 days’ ultimatum to pay the bursary and other allowances or face a protest.

    President of the association, Comrade Abubakar Sheidu Ohida, addressed reporters in Lokoja, the state capital.

    He explained that Kogi State students had been neglected by the government.

    The students’ leader expressed surprise that despite the governor’s promises on the payment of the bursary three months ago, nothing had been done about the matter.

    Ohida said students from tertiary institutions across the country would be mobilised to stage a peaceful protest at the Government House in Lokoja, if the payment was not made at the expiration of the ultimatum.

     

  • Lagos gives N95m bursary to students

    Lagos gives N95m bursary to students

    The Lagos State government fulfilled its promise to support tertiary level students from the state with bursaries last Wednesday, disbursing N95,463,718.12 to 1,245 students from three institutions.

    The students from Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, the Nigerian Law School and Maritime Academy, Oron got between N50,000 and N200,000 through the Lagos State Scholarship Board.

    Deputy Governor, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire represented by the Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Wale Ahmed; Chairman, House Committee on Education, Waheed Alawiye-King; Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Otunba Fatai Olusoga and other top government functionaries were present at the Government College Agege School Hall to disburse the bursaries to the students.

    With the presentation of I.D. Cards as evidence of their studentship, the students were given Verve ATM cards loaded with the amounts which they could access once activated.

    In her speech, Mrs Orelope-Adefulire said the bursary was to help especially LASU students of 2011/2012 set cope with the recent school fees increment.

    “On the part of the Lagos State government, we have sustained regular and timely payment of bursary and scholarship awards to indigenes of the state. The bursary awards for this particular set ranges from N50,000 to N80,000 to cushion the effect of the increase in tuition. Not only that, His Excellency also approved N200,000 bursary values for Law School and Maritime Academy Students,” she said.

    Also speaking, Otunba Olukoga said with the recognition that quality education is capital intensive the present administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola has provided regular financial support to students through bursaries and scholarships.

    “I can boldly confirm to you that since inception of the present administration in the state, indigenes have greatly enjoyed the magnanimous gesture and humane disposition of His Excellency through constant payment of bursary and scholarship awards,” he said.

    Secretary of the Scholarship Board, Mrs Yetunde Jegede, said LASU students studying science-related courses got N80,000; Social Sciences, N60,000; and Arts, N50,000.

    However, many students, especially those from LASU said they expected more than the government paid given the amount they spent as fees.

    Adedolapo Bamgbose, a 200 Level Philosophy student said they expected that the bursary would almost cover their fees, which was N250,000 when they were admitted last year, and N155,000 in the current session.

    “I believe the state government said they have tried their best but compared with what we paid in 100-Level this N50,000 is not enough. I believe the money should have been close to what we spent so that our parents do not have to struggle so much to look for the balance,” he said.

    Though also expecting more, Oluwakemi Aree, a 200-Level Computer Science student who got N60,000, said she would use the money to meet pressing needs in school and save towards her fees next session. “It is okay for us to cushion the effect of the school fees.

    The governor is trying but I was expecting more than this – like N100,000. I will use it for books and save towards the next fees,” she said.

    Oluwakemi, however, appealed the government to improve facilities at the university.

    “Though fees have been increased, we cannot see the effect because we don’t have enough classrooms. For instance if 300-Level students are having lectures, we have to wait until they finish before we have our classes,” she said.

    On his part, Afolabi Euba, a student of the Nigerian Law School, thanked the government for the bursary and praised the scholarship board for making the process stress-free for students.

    “It is a very generous system that has been set up by Fashola. The system is run very well. The whole process of applying for scholarship and bursary has been made very simple and the board has been very supportive to awardees,” he said.

  • Students decry non-payment of bursary

    Students of Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), have asked the government to start paying them bursary.

    Some students, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, said the bursary had been unpaid for years, adding that the money would assist poor in their educational pursuit.

    A 200-Level student of Geography, Ibrahim Muhammad, said: “Our government has been working to make education accessible to everyone. But I want them to revisit our scholarship scheme and relieve our struggling parents. Those of us from poor backgrounds need this kind of support to make meaning out of our lives.” Esther Namo, a 300-Level student of Statistics at the University of Jos (UNIJOS) said the grant would motivate her to do well in her academics. “Scholarship should be given to bright students with challenging background. This has a way of encouraging hard work and healthy competition,” she stated.

    However, Commissioner for Higher Education in Nasarawa State, Mr Philips Shekwo said the government has planned to restore all scholarship schemes in the state. Speaking to a delegation of Nasarawa State Students Association (NASSA), he said: “The government of Umar Tanko has a plan to assist all students of the state through a robust scholarship payment. Their education is paramount to us. We are working on achieving this objective as soon as possible.”

    In a telephone interview with our correspondent, Special Assistant to the governor on Students Affairs, Mr kasim Muhammed, said the governor was concerned with the plight of the students. He said: “The issue of scholarship payment was the first task I undertook on assumption of office. At the moment, we are at the completion stage of the project. I can assure you that the scheme would start soon.”

     

  • Lagos to pay N63m bursary

    Lagos to pay N63m bursary

    The Lagos State Government has released N63, 463,718.12 for payment of bursary to Lagos State indigenes admitted into the Lagos State University (LASU) in 2011/2012 academic session to cushion the effect of the increase in the tuition fee of the institution.

    In a statement Signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State scholarship Board, Mr Awobadejo Adesesan Olusegun, the Director/Secretary of the Board, Mrs. Yetunde Jegede, said 1, 085 students would benefit from the amount.

    She, however, enjoined all concerned students from LASU to visit the Board’s website for further information and required documents before payment can be effected.

    In another development, the Lagos State Scholarship Board is to start documentation exercise in readiness for 2013 subsequent payments for all beneficiaries of Local Scholarship award.

     

    The Lagos State Government approved the sum of One Hundred and Sixty Million, One hundred and Forty Two Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventeen Naira, Twelve kobo (N160, 142, 717.12k) as Local Scholarship awards to indigenes of the State in various tertiary institutions across the federation.

    The Board Secretary implores concerned students to come for their award with original and photocopies of their documents which include Scholarship award Letter, School Identity Card, Two passport photographs, Progress report for the respective year duly stamped and signed by the School Authority

    END

  • Council boss hailed on bursary

    Members of the National Association of Obubura Students (NAOBS), University of Calabar (UNICAL) chapter, have lauded the chairman of the local government over the bursary they were recently paid by the council.

    The bursary grants was disbursed to all students who hailed from Obubura in various universities.

    The council chairman, Reverend Chris Obasse, who spoke through the Supervisor for Education, Louis Ikpan, said that the council decided to redeem its pledge made to the students during campaign.

    He said: “We are doing it for the fact that council thought it very wise that education is the key to national development and that it is the best legacy the government can bequeath to its citizens. So we have to do our best as to regards to that area.”

    He stressed that the council deemed its responsibility to ensure that the students received the bursary grants to motivate them to achieve excellence. Obasse advised the beneficiaries to make good use of the bursary, urging them to buy books to widen their knowledge.

    The NAOBS president, Bassey Nkanu, 400-Level Accounting, said that the union was grateful to the council for the gesture, which he described as a good one, saying that posterity would remember the leadership. He stated that the last time the students were paid was four decades ago.

    He said: “Immediately Chris Obasse came on board as the chairman of the council, things changed. He has redeemed the pledges made to the students of the council during his campaign; our bursary award has been paid.”

    Bassey advised the beneficiaries not to mismanage the money, urging his colleague to always apply the knowledge they to the challenges of life.

    One of the beneficiaries, Felicia Eforo, 300-Level Theater Art, said: “The money I have just received, I will use it to complete my school fees. I appreciate the local government for this gesture.”

    Mathias Ebingha, a final year student of Sociology, said that he felt excited after he got the bursary award. He said: “When I heard the news that the local government wanted to pay us, my heart was full of joy. The money I just received will be used on my final year project.”