The Nation Newspaper

Tag: scheme

  • Ogun water scheme closed

    The Ogun State Water Corporation has shut down its biggest water works, the Abeokuta Main Water Scheme, Arakanga, in Abeokuta North Local Government.

    This followed the  rehabilitation of the scheme, which can pump 162 million litres per day.

    The corporation’s General Manager, Mrs. Monsurat Agboola, said the exercise would last seven days.

    She said the corporation’s old water scheme in Iberekodo has been placed on 24 hours service.

    “We are carrying out an enormous repair work at this location as you can see.

    “For now, we have shut down the major system that supplies Abeokuta and we are on the smaller scheme.

    “The smaller scheme will be on for 24 hours daily while repair works at the main scheme lasts,” she added.

  • 1,435 benefit from graduate scheme

    Over 1, 435 graduates have benefited from one year internship programme in the federal government initiated Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance and Ultimax Consult Limited and established with an intention of building the capacity of youths and exposing them to necessary experience needed for successful business and career.

    GIS Project Director, Mr. Peter Papka, who made this known at the graduation ceremony in Abuja, where 127 graduates completed their one year internship programme, reaffirmed that the GIS was meant to improve the work ethics, orientation and provide employability skills needed to improve their personal and career development skills.

    Papka, who was represented by an official of the scheme, Mr. Alhasan Samaila, noted that over 21,000 graduates out the 50,000 targeted have exited the scheme in its two years of introduction, with most of them retained by their host firms, while some have been self employed with the skills acquired skills.

    He further disclosed that FCT has over 1,435 beneficiaries and 544 firms that have been verified and approved to take in graduates for internship, providing them with necessary mentorship.

    He reminded them that GIS was part of government’s effort in contributing to their capacity for effective service, especially through staff assessment, official etiquette, staff management and development through structured mentorship and other critical areas which are necessary for the growth of any firm.

    In the presence of their employer representatives, the interns expressed gratitude to the federal government for initiating such a wonderful programme that had transformed their lives.

    However, Blessing Samuel and Anthony Balogun who were among the beneficiaries in their submissions said that the programme has improved their inter-personal relationship skills and confidence level, calling on the federal government to increase awareness of the scheme to enable graduates especially at the rural areas benefit from the scheme.

    Speaking on the gains of GIS, an employer representative, Blessing Titilayo, accepted that the arrival of the interns to her organisation has turn around the company’s revenue generation and sued for it sustenance by the government.

    Meanwhile, 167 fresh graduates have been inducted into the scheme for a fresh one year internship programme under the supervision of Ministry of Finance and Tenex Zil consulting Limited.

     

  • Ogun interns bare minds over graduate scheme

    Ogun interns bare minds over graduate scheme

    When Olapagbo Benjamin graduated from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, MAPOLY, Ogun State where he studied Accounting in 2008, he got a contract job immediately as a site accountant where he was paid N50, 000 every month for a year.

    The contract ended after a year and he was thrown into the labour market. For want of something to do, he decided to venture into the POP ceiling design business. “I enrolled to study it for one year, even as I continued my search for a job.”

    The 32 year-old father of two held onto this job until 2014 when he heard about the Federal Government SURE-P programme. He registered and was deployed to Tunes and Partners in Ogun State as an intern.

    Speaking to The Nation during the employability training for interns in Ogun State organised by the African Leadership Forum, Ota, Benjamin praised the programme, saying it has impacted on his life a lot. He however called on the federal government to increase the stipend being paid to the interns saying 30, 000 is rather too small.

    “I have been able to learn a whole lot of things. I now know how to grow fishes. I intend to have my own private firm in the future and I have started saving to start. But this is difficult because the money we are paid cannot go anywhere in taking care of my children and a wife, let alone having something to save.”

    He also advised that SURE-P should open centres in all the states, so that interns could have places to go and lay their complain should they have problems at their places of work.

    31 year-old Awobaju Yewande is no different; she studied Industrial and Labour Relations from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State and graduated in 2007. After NYSC, she got employment in several companies but never enjoyed the jobs, so she resigned.

    Somehow, she also heard about the SURE-P programme and joined in September 2014. She was subsequently posted to Integrated Platinum, a company that is into websites designing.

    That notwithstanding, her desire is to establish a company that will deal in furniture business and she says SURE-P will make her dreams come true as she has started to gain business experience.

    Oresanya Motunrayo, also a graduate of MAPOLY told The Nation that she registered so she can be earning regular monthly income, as her fish pond business only generates money twice a year.

    Although she makes between N400, 000 to N1million every year, she says it is not enough for her upkeep. The 2010 graduate was posted to in Ijebu-Igbo Omo Ilu Foundation, Ogun State,

    She also said that another reason she registered was to gain more knowledge and improve her CV.

  • National ID card scheme hits the rock again?

    Fashioning an identity card for the citizens of this country must be some sort of adventure in the land of no return. Even the first trip to the moon could not have been more troublous. No fewer than three previous times have Nigerian governments tried to identify her citizens but all such attempts have been botched after huge contracts had been awarded.

    When a highly regarded professional, Mr. Chris Onyemenam was appointed a few years ago to initiate another national identity gamut, we thought the time was now to kill the serpent; what with today’s vastly improved technology. But we may have rejoiced too soon. After about three years, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) is troubled once again. Since roll out was announced with fanfare over a year ago, nothing more is heard. I don’t know anyone I know who has the National ID.

    Recently, the major contractor/technical partners of NIMC had to send a long, open letter to the president through several national newspapers. Writing to the president through an open forum means that all other channels of engagement had broken down. It also means going to the court of public opinion.

    This is indeed a shame. This scheme failed in the First Republic, the Second Republic, and in Obasanjo’s era. The contractors cry of bad faith; we urge NIMC to seek mediation and ensure utmost integrity in their processes. That is the least we expect for our generation has a point to prove that we can succeed where our fathers failed. The ID scheme is too crucial not to be up and running in this age. We expect a lot more from Chris.

  • 180,586 employers on pension fund scheme

    180,586 employers on pension fund scheme

    • Fund hits N4.7tr

    The Pension Reform initiated and carried out by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has impacted positively on the Nigerian economy.

    Currently, over 6.5 million people are contributors from 180,586 employers that have keyed into the scheme, the Director-General of BPE, Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki, has revealed.

    BPE, Head, Public Communications, Chigbo Anichebe made this disclosure in a statement, yesterday.

    According to the statement, Dikki said 20 Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), seven Closed Pension Fund Administrators (CPFAs) and four Pension Fund Custodians (PFCs) have so far been registered since the scheme began in 2004.

    Receiving a delegation led by the Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr. Michel Arrion, in his office in Abuja,   further said that the total funds under the Contributory Pension Scheme is over N4.7 trillion.

    These funds have provided stable deposits, enabling banks to lend more on long-term basis

    He said the various reforms carried out by the Bureau had impacted positively on the  economy and that the over-riding objective of the reforms is to create an enabling environment for private sector investments.

     

  • Preserving the NYSC scheme

    SIR: In view of ethnic and tribal diversity of the Nigerian federation, lack of unity has always been a major impediment to nation building. From independence till date, successive governments have devised various policies and programmes with the primary goal of surmounting the various complications posed by the country’s mixed population.

    One of such is the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. Brainchild of the General Yakubu Gowon’s (rtd.) military administration, it was conceived in 1973 as a way to address the major fallouts of the Nigerian civil war (1967-1970). Having fought a bitter civil war that further exposed the precarious nature of the county’s federation, the NYSC programme was put in place as a policy that could enhance the unity of the country. The core aspect of the programme involves the posting of fresh graduates to various parts of the country for a mandatory one-year national service programme.

    Among the major core values of the NYSC are dedication and loyalty to the service of one’s fatherland. In adherence to this, many corps members have remained true to this cause by giving out their best in their various places of primary assignment. There is, however, urgent need to tidy up certain loose ends in respect of the NYSC programme in order to preserve its values. A recent survey shows that corps members meet with various challenges in the process of carrying out their assignments. Prominent among these challenges are security, low allowance and rejection by some organisations. Also, the working environment in certain locations in the country is not actually conducive for members to give out their best. Equally, members are sometimes overburdened with so much work and still get very little remuneration.

    Inadequate accommodation is also a serious challenge for members across the country. This is particularly frustrating, especially for corps members posted to places where they are complete strangers. Closely related to this is the issue of transportation. In major cities in Nigeria, it is usually difficult and very expensive navigating through one’s way because of the huge cost of transportation. The result is that corps members serving in most of the cities often end up spending fortunes on transportation. Ironically, the meager monthly allowance is usually expended on transportation thereby compounding the frustrations of the corpers. At the end of the month, there is little or nothing left to feed and use on other essential expenses.

    Added to this is the fact that many employers don’t really treat members fairly as they are often used as beasts of burden that should do all the dirty works and yet without being duly compensated. This is particularly the case with members who serve with the private sector where they are expected to face the same task as given to permanent staff.

    Compared to insecurity, all the aforementioned challenges are however child-plays. If the security operatives, with all the human and material resources at their disposal, could not guarantee us of a safe election, definitely corps members who are posted to troubled spots in the country are, undoubtedly, endangered species.

    Besides our peculiar security plight, the poor state of roads across the country equally jeopardizes the safety of corps members. There have been countless instances of corps members losing their lives through tragic motor accidents.

    Despite these challenges, corps members have continued to heed and obey the clarion call of service to their fatherland by diligently carrying out their various tasks in whatever capacity they are given. Hence they have continued to exhibit the core values that anchor the NYSC scheme. Like all government’s policies and programmes, despite its various shortcomings, the NYSC scheme has over the years succeeded, in its own little way, in fostering unity in the country. There is, however, an urgent need to look into the various challenges bedeviling the scheme with a view to preserving its major values.

     

    •Susan Olije

    Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

  • Association plans pension scheme for members

    The Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN) is mapping out ways of caring for old members of the association who have served the movies and entertainment industry diligently in their productive years, through its planned retirement and social security scheme.

    According to the National President of the Association, Prince Odubamidele Odule, the best way to appreciate elderly practitioners who can no longer practise is to put in place a retirement/pension scheme for them.

    “One of the most dangerous fears in life is that of uncertainty. Many of our elders who have given all their lives to the profession on a full time basis are now getting old and weak. Had they been in a more regulated service, they would by now be on monthly pension.

    “We must device a strategic work plan to ensure that a social security scheme through which our living legends will sustain themselves is put in place. The joy and assurance of the scheme will definitely translate into a longer and healthy life for them,” he explained.

    Besides the social security scheme, Odule said his administration is also planning a world class annual carnival to honour and immortalise deserving members.

    The departed like Chief Hubert Ogunde, who started and popularised theatre arts practice in the county in the 1940s, Kola Ogunmola, Duro Ladipo, Oyin Adejobi and many others would be appreciated post-humously.

    Also working towards protecting the jobs of movy producers, the TAMPAN President said the association would work with the Yoruba Video Film Marketing, Producers Association of Nigeria (YOVIPAN) to redesign new techniques and also improve upon the existing ones to reduce the menace of piracy to the barest minimum.

  • AfDB strengthens anti-money laundering scheme

    AfDB strengthens anti-money laundering scheme

    African Development Bank (AfDB’s) Vice-President Aly Abou-Sabaa has said addressing issues of governance, fighting corruption and promoting greater transparency and accountability across both public and private sectors is key to unlocking the full African potential of the continent and ensuring the sustainability of its development.

    In a statement, the bank chief said Africa’s abundance of natural resources in forestry, agriculture, minerals, oil and gas, offer a major opportunity to close the development gap.

    He said a recent research by the bank shows that countries which implemented governance reforms were performing better than non-reforming countries. According to the African Development Effectiveness Review on Governance, published in 2012, reformers benefitted from an additional two percentage points of growth in comparison to non-reformers between the decades 1990-2000 and 2000 to 2008.

    However, while some progress has been achieved towards promoting good governance, there remains a lot of work to be done. “Progress has been uneven and insufficient,” Abou-Sabaa said.

    Speaking at the opening of the conference, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz called for increased cooperation between African countries as well as a multidimensional approach and joint action between government departments, civil society and the private sector in order to effectively fight mismanagement and lack of transparency.

    The lender, he said, is playing a key role in that regard. Its strategy for 2013 to 2022 is articulated around economic transformation, with governance and accountability as a key priority. On top of its Governance Action Plan launched in 2014, the AfDB is currently updating its anti-money laundering and terrorist financing strategy to incorporate illicit financial flows to strengthen its support for African countries in these areas.

    The AfDB has recently set up the African Natural Resources Centre. The aim is to provide dedicated advice, technical assistance and advocacy to African countries to strengthen the institutions managing natural resources, to step up civil society capacity, and increase advocacy efforts in international fora.

    According to a study prepared jointly by the bank and Global Financial Integrity in 2013, between 2000 to 2009, the continent lost some $30.4 billion per annum, an amount mirroring what the continent receives in aid and foreign direct investment.

  • Foundation institutes $100m entrepreneurship scheme

    Foundation institutes $100m entrepreneurship scheme

    The Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, an annual scheme for training, funding and mentoring, designed to empower the next generation of African entrepreneurs,  has instituted $100 million for African entrepreneurs.

    Beneficiaries are expected to, from today, submit entries through its application portal. Submission of entries ends  March  1.

    The $100 million programme, announced in Lagos will identify and support 1,000 entrepreneurs from across the continent each year over the next decade. The 10,000 start-ups and young businesses selected from across Africa will ultimately create one million new jobs and add $10 billion in annual revenues to Africa’s economy.

    The programme is open to citizens and legal residents of all 54 African countries. Applications can be made by any for-profit business based in Africa in existence for less than three years, including new business ideas.

    The foundation said entrepreneurs must complete the online application form with questions on their background, experience and business idea, plans for growth and proposed pan-African impact.

    “Since the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme was announced, we have been enthused by the level of interest and excitement from entrepreneurs across Africa. We are looking forward to reviewing the entries and identifying the first cohort of the continent’s next generation of business leaders,” its Director of Entrepreneurship, ParminderVir OBE  said.

  • Much ado about Rivers govt’s scholarship scheme

    Much ado about Rivers govt’s scholarship scheme

    Shortly after Rotimi Amaechi became the governor of Rivers State, he established the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA). One of the mandates of the agency is to sponsor deserving students to further their education. Of recent, the scheme has been enmeshed in controversy, writes BISI OLANIYI in Port Harcourt 

    The Rivers State Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah,  sounded like a man sure of his facts. He also wore the toga of a man speaking for the oppressed. But, those who should know have said the man was simply playing games with the issue. The kernel of the PDP chief’s speech was: the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) was planning to recall the students on overseas scholarship.

    He also accused the Rotimi Amaechi administration of not keeping its promises to Rivers people.

    Obuah claimed that he was reacting to the cries of students who were sent to the United Kingdom by the Rivers State government in 2010 to study Medicine, but allegedly given a marching order by the agency to come home, when they were yet to start their medical programme (MBBS).

    He alleged that the RSSDA ordered the stoppage of the payment of the students’ upkeep and accommodation allowances, which he described as deceitful, a breach of contract and a fraud, claiming that millions of naira had been voted for the programme.

    The Rivers PDP chairman asked Amaechi and the RSSDA to consider the far-reaching implications of forcing the students to return home, without clearing their indebtedness to the UK institutions, which he described as a criminal case. This, said Obuah, could make the institutions to blacklist the students and deny them the possibility of travelling abroad for further studies or any other business in the future.

    Obuah said: “We have been vindicated in our allegation that Governor Amaechi has emptied the Rivers State treasury on sponsorship of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he has consistently denied. Which other reason could compel Amaechi and his pet agency, the RSSDA, to stop the students on state scholarship halfway, rather than lack of funds?

    “The students have neither completed their programmes nor  has Amaechi got the trained and qualified personnel to keep his so-called super health centres afloat, yet he wants those sent out to acquire these skills to come home without qualifying, simply because the state is broke

    “We are demanding that the move to recall these students, without completing their programmes, be stopped forthwith or the billions of naira already claimed to have been spent on the aggrieved, but deceived Rivers State scholarship beneficiaries be refunded to Rivers people.”

    Obuah also stated that he thought the idea of starting a project and not finishing it, before jumping to the other, was only restricted to infrastructural development, while claiming that the Rivers governor had extended it to human capital development, which was described as unacceptable.

    But, the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the RSSDA, Mr. Noble Pepple, said there was no truth in Obuah’s claim.

    Pepple said: “As an agency responsible for the development of qualified manpower for Rivers State, it will be counter intuitive for us to force our students to return home before the completion of their studies. That will negate the objective of the scholarship scheme.

    “The RSSDA was recently approached by parents of a group of 17 scholars, who were among a number of applicants awarded scholarship by the agency to study for first degree in Medicine or medically-related courses in 2010.

    “Unfortunately, they could not gain admission for Medicine, after their pre-degree (foundation) programme and they settled for medically-related courses, such as Pharmacy, Bio-Medical Sciences and Physiotherapy. The scholars, who have now graduated in these fields, with their full allowances fully paid to the end of their studies in July 2014, have turned around to demand fresh sponsorship from the agency to study Medicine.

    “These medically-related disciplines, from which the scholars have qualified, are also needed in the healthcare delivery system in the state. Besides, it would only be fair that having benefitted from the state sponsorship for their first degree, other deserving candidates are given similar opportunity.”

    Since the inception of the Governor’s Special Overseas Scholarship Scheme in 2008, the executive director disclosed that the agency had placed almost two thousand deserving young Rivers State men and women in top-ranking universities across the world, with the initiative taking over 70 per cent of the RSSDA’s annual budget.

    Pepple said by the end of September 2014, nearly one thousand of the students would have fully completed their studies, majority with flying colours, while stressing that the remaining are still in the programme and would continue to enjoy the full sponsorship of the government.

    Shortly after Amaechi became the Governor of Rivers State, he established the RSSDA, with the aim of empowering lives and creating better future for Rivers state and its people.

    Amaechi said at the inauguration of the RSSDA: “Our mission is to serve our people with humility and render transparent and accountable stewardship, anchored on integrity and good governance. We shall use our God-given resources to improve the quality of life of our present and future generations, and empower our people in a peaceful, just and harmonious society under God.”

    The pioneer executive director of RSSDA, Mr. Bolaji Ogunseye, who was seconded from the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), like Pepple, tried his best.

    Pepple, during the presentation of the agency’s 2013 annual report in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, last Friday, said the future of RSSDA was bright, in spite of the challenges.

    He revealed at the presentation that the 2013 report was the agency’s fourth, since 2010, when RSSDA began to publish an account of its activities to its stakeholders.

    The executive director disclosed that of the 249 graduates from the agency’s overseas scholarship, eleven physically-challenged students graduated from top universities in the United Kingdom, Canada and India, with flying colours.

    He said the agency, through  Amaechi’s overseas scholarship scheme, awarded 312 scholarships, with greater focus on medical and health-related disciplines.

    Pepple described 2013 as a tough year for the RSSDA, in view of the inhibiting funding constraints experienced in 2012, which he said became more severe last year, thereby impacting virtually all the agency’s planned activities.

    He said in spite of the challenges, RSSDA learnt to be more creative and innovative, making it to meet some of its commitments and mandate, with the efforts noticed within and outside Nigeria, through awards of excellence.

    The executive director said: “Our programmes suffered major setbacks, due to the funding challenge faced during the year. Of the N10 billion budget allocated to the agency for 2013, we had received only N4 billion by the end of the year. An additional N2 billion was received in 2014. We were unable to meet our payment obligations to our scholars and their universities overseas in a timely manner.

    “By the end of the year (2013), we had incurred accumulated debts owed to universities overseas, scholarship implementing agents, local vendors and service providers, amounting to N4 billion. As a result, we were unable to conduct the annual scholarship test and interview for the award of new scholarships into the programme for the 2014/2015 session.”

    In spite of the challenges, he noted that the RSSDA received two significant recognitions during the year: “HR best Practice Award in the Public Sector in Nigeria,” from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management and “African Government Agency of the Year 2013,” by the African Leadership Magazine Award Committee in USA, for the monumental work done by the agency in developing the human capital in Rivers State.

    The executive director stated that the agency continued the development of its Songhai Rivers Initiative, with the introduction of improved crop and soil management technologies at the Songhai Farm in Tai Local Government Area of the state.

    He said progress was also made in setting up the first agro-support centre at Onne in Eleme LGA of the state, which is connected to the Songhai farm and also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) to train its students at the Songhai farm.

    Pepple lauded Amaechi for the RSSDA’s initiative, stressing that the governor’s trust and support had been instrumental to the agency’s success.

    While also assessing the performance of the agency, its Chairman, Rev. Canon Precious Omuku, also noted that 2013 was a challenging year, especially with the funding constraint. Omuku reiterated that the agency struggled to meet its obligations to beneficiaries of its scholarship programme, stressing that the challenges that lie ahead would become even greater, with limited resources, but noted that emphasis must always be placed on poverty alleviation and improvement in the quality of life of Rivers people.

    According to the RSSDA’s report, by the end of last year, 1,962 students had been awarded scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate studies in overseas universities. Some have completed their courses, while others are still studying and at various stages in their chosen courses, costing N23.7 billion.

    During the year, 312 students (238 undergraduates and 74 postgraduates) were awarded scholarships to study overseas. Of the number, 149 travelled to their study destinations in 2013, bringing the total number of students studying overseas to 1,072, with the scholars currently studying at various higher institutions in twelve countries.

    Higher consideration was given to medical students applying to study at postgraduate level. Of the 74 postgraduate awards made in 2013, scholars in medical and health sciences took up 20 places.

    The agency also established opportunities for students to study Medicine at universities in the Caribbean and the Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, to accommodate the additional placement for medical studies. With the additions, RSSDA was able to increase the number of students studying medicine by 56, bringing the total to 89.

    During the year, Urban and Regional Development was also added to the portfolio of overseas courses for which scholarships were awarded at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, to accommodate the rising and urgent need for qualified professionals and provide support for the new Greater Port Harcourt City project, with five awards made for the course in 2013.

    The RSSDA, in 2013, had the highest number of graduating and returning students since the programme started in 2008. The report indicated that 249 students graduated and returned to Rivers state from the United Kingdom (138), India (77), Singapore (26), Canada (7) and the United States of America (1). Of the 138 students from the UK, five graduated with First Class, while another made a Distinction.

    With the 77 students returning from India and 26 from Singapore, the state now has 258 qualified ICT graduates from both countries, with the remaining students to complete their studies in both countries in 2014, following which the sponsorship to the countries would draw to a close.

    In 2010, Amaechi launched a scholarship scheme, specifically to provide opportunities for people living with physical disability to study overseas, with 26 beneficiaries so far. During the year, eleven of the physically-challenged students graduated from Nottingham Trent University, UK. Daniel Nlemogu and Betty Alali Odema are among them.

    Nlemogu achieved a First Class Honours Degree in Law. Upon returning to Rivers State, he received an award of excellence from the Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation. He recently received a second scholarship award from Amaechi to pursue a Master’s degree programme.

    He said: “RSSDA’s scholarship programme has developed me academically and otherwise, as I always strive to be the best wherever I find myself. Sincerely, my life has been transformed as a result of the RSSDA’s scholarship programme.

    “My future plan is to do what would make me give back to the society, particularly Rivers State, for the huge investment made in my life. I want to thank God Almighty for how He has led me thus far. I could not have been at this stage of my life without God and the support of the RSSDA.”

    Nlemogu was also grateful to the NGF chairman for giving the agency human-oriented programmes and for giving him a sense of belonging.

    Another outstanding, but physically-challenged graduate of the overseas scholarship scheme, Odema, also graduated from the Nottingham Trent University with honours in International Relations in 2013. She received the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Personal Achievement.

    For her good performance, Odema recently received a second scholarship award from Amaechi to pursue higher degrees in the UK and has already commenced her M.Sc. programme at the University of Coventry.

    Odema, in an interview, said: “Growing up in the Port Harcourt Cheshire Home, under very difficult environment, did not deter me from dreaming big, by aiming higher. The Rivers State Government picked me from a low level of life and gave me wings to fly and hope for a better future.

    “You (Rivers State Government) have sown for my future and the future of our dear state. I have a lot to offer. I want to be an inspiration to the physically challenged and the able-bodied persons and a testimony to the lasting legacy of the Amaechi’s administration’s investment in the youths of Rivers State.”

    Odema also expressed gratitude to the Rivers governor and the people of the state for the great opportunity given to her to obtain a high-quality education in the UK.

    A native of Umuagbai-Ndoki in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers state, Nwabueze Dike, is a 2008 graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt, but had the privilege of studying at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom, through the opportunity offered him by the RSSDA’s overseas postgraduate scholarship scheme in 2012.

    He stated that the scholarship enabled him to study for M.Sc. Subsea Engineering and graduated with Distinction in November 2013.

    Dike said: “Studying such a multidisciplinary course (Subsea Engineering) at postgraduate level, in a multicultural setting, was very interesting and challenging, considering the new environment, team, weather conditions and teaching methods, which I had to cope with.

    “The school, teaching staff and course modules were excellent, as the lectures and courses, including final examination, were drawn from current oil and gas industry practice, projects and challenges around the world.

    “As a Subsea Engineer, I have gained knowledge in the design, construction, installation and maintenance of subsea systems and networks required for deep and ultra-deep water oil and gas production. Through the scholarship/study, I have gained international exposure, practised UK work ethics and social responsibility and mutual respect for team members.

    “Now that I have improved myself, I want to give back to the society by transferring the skills I have acquired to the young, as well as up and coming engineers of Rivers State origin, aspiring to be part of the subsea business in the oil and gas industry.”

    Dike also stated that he was at the final stage of starting a free programme, aimed at grooming college students with relevant computer skills required for further studies in higher institutions home and abroad.

    The subsea engineer suggested to the RSSDA to incorporate into the scheme, a method of integrating their scholars into the relevant industry, after their study. So that the knowledge gained would be applied upon graduation.

    RSSDA also has other scholarship schemes, especially the Greater Horizon Opportunities Programme (GHOP), where students from poor homes are given the opportunity of attending the best secondary schools across Nigeria. Five of them graduated in 2013, the remaining 127 will graduate this year, except one, for health reason. One of the beneficiaries is Miss Faith Okwelle.

    Okwelle said: “If RSSDA had not intervened in my educational life, I would have attended the secondary school in my village, instead of the one I now attend and of course, the outputs of both schools are obviously different. The standard of teaching in Brookstone Secondary School makes me stand out, whenever I interact with my mates from other schools.

    “I have the opportunity to meet with other brilliant children and to go for excursions outside the country. RSSDA’s GHOP scholarship has helped my family to save the money my parents would have used in training me to invest in other things. This has helped my family’s income tremendously.”

    The GHOP beneficiary (Okwelle) also lauded Amaechi for bringing her and others out of the slums, through the scholarship programme.

    In 2011, the RSSDA launched a scheme to promote the study of agriculture and increase enrolment of Rivers state indigenes in agricultural courses at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt.

    The scheme involved providing financial support to pay fees and upkeep allowances for students of Rivers State origin, who enrol to study agricultural courses (Crop Science, Fisheries, Animal Science and Forestry) at the RSUST.

    RSSDA continued its commitment to the scheme during the year, by providing support for an additional 39 students, increasing enrolment in agriculture at the RSUST to 57 students by last December.