The Nation Newspaper

Tag: scholarship

  • 102 pupils get scholarship in Kwara

    102 pupils get scholarship in Kwara

    An organisation, the Engineer Sunday Babalola Foundation (ESBF) has given N2m scholarship award to 102 indigent students of post-primary and tertiary institutions of Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

    The award, said to be first of its kind, will be continuous, the Founder of the foundation, Sunday Babalola said.

    Speaking during the presentation of cash and cheque to the beneficiaries in Omu-Aran, Babalola,  said, “We are starting from this community, later to the local government and if we can, we will extend it to the state level. Good students were selected by their principals; they applied and were interviewed.”

    The founder called on corporate organisations, donors, philanthropists and humanitarian outfits to invest in the advancement of education in Nigeria.

    The petroleum engineer said, “The award of scholarship to students of secondary and tertiary institutions is for me a fulfillment of my dream and desire to contribute my quota to the educational advancement and uplift of students in my locality.

    “God helping me with more resources, I intend to make this scholarship an annual event which will extend to more pupils and students in the local government and even across Kwara State.

    “It is a truism that educational growth is the springboard for societal advancement. So the falling standard of education in the country causes my heart to bleed. Gone appears to have been the days when students took interest in academic competitions. Many of them are today engrossed with internet and video pornography to the detriment of their educational growth.

    “Many of the students and graduates are merely half baked and cannot compete favourably in the labour market as they are unfit either for employment, lacking requisite skills and knowledge for self employment and self-reliance and sustenance. The situation has worsened the living standard of their families who suffered and spent so much to train them, yet they still depend on their families for upkeep and sustenance even after graduation.

    “Many of them have therefore become willing tools for insurgency, kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes and so become threats to societal peace and wellbeing.

    “We all must save the situation from degenerating further by investing more in the educational advancement of the Nigerian child.

    “While part of the blame goes to the pupils and students, it is also important to note that government at local, state and federal levels have not done enough to ensure quality and accessible education in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

    “Many of the students and pupils attend schools hungry as their parents because of the economic downturn cannot feed them adequately. Some of them even come to school with turn and worn-out uniform while some still do not have sandals, books, lockers and chairs!

    How then can they learn well and past excellently in their examinations in this pitiable condition?

    “Many of the public schools have become hunting ghost, scaring away prospective good students. This situation had therefore made many private schools very academically attractive as only students from rich homes are now availed the opportunity of quality education.

    “What becomes the lot of children from indigent homes? It appears that the government has abandoned its core responsibility of  ensure quality, and accessible education under the guise of dwindling revenue while  the governors, law makers and other political office holders comfortably earn their jumbo salaries and other perquisites.

    We therefore must prioritise our national needs and give education the right pride of place if Nigeria must advance and meet up with the global trend.

    “Governments at all levels must stop paying lip service to education development. There must be sufficient investments in infrastructure provision, human capital development, security of pupils and students and undergraduates. Teachers and lectures must be well paid while incessant strikes and disruption of academic programs should be avoided in our schools, both tertiary and non-tertiary.

    “It is also important for more emphasis to be placed on entrepreneurship development and skill acquisition so as to produce graduates that will create more jobs in the country instead of being job seekers and security risk to the society. In addition, government should address mass failures in external examinations especially in core subjects including English and Mathematics.”

  • 50 get overseas scholarship

    50 get overseas scholarship

    Fifty of the 500 graduates who applied for an overseas scholarship scheme sponsored by a lawmaker Hon. Ossy Prestige have been selected.

    One of the criteria required that the candidates must be resident in the Aba North and South constituencies which Prestige represents at the House of Representatives.

    The gesture is organised by the lawmaker’s Youth Empowerment Scholarship Scheme.

    The successful candidates from various universities and polytechnics in Nigeria will study for their Master’s degree in any European universities of their choice free of charge.

    Mr. George Ezeikpe, the Director General, Ossy Prestige Foundation, said the lawmaker will also fund  their feeding, accommodation and tuition.

    Ezeikpe stressed that the 50 students were chosen by merit.

    Addressing the successful candidates, Hon. Prestige congratulated the candidates, warning against truancy or absconding from the programme.

    He said that  sending them abroad for studies was to acquire and transfer the knowledge to their host communities and state except those that their host countries may wish to offer employment after graduation.

    Prestige was optimistic that by the end of his first  four years at the National Assembly, he would have sponsored over 200 graduates.

    “I want to say congratulations to all of you. If you remember the day you were taking the exams, I was there briefly to encourage everybody to work hard because what we are doing is something that has to do with the ability of you to prove yourself. It is a very simply thing for me to sit in the comfort of my parlour to write names of those to send overseas for their degree programmes. I am sure that out of 55 or more of you here, I may not be able to know up to three persons among you, which means that it is truly by merit. There was no influence from anywhere and I never influenced anything because I wanted the best to emerge.

    “I had over 1000 phone calls from friends and relatives, even associates on one choice or the other, but I said NO, that it was going to be purely on merit. And why I want it to be on merit is that I want to encourage those who are actually working hard; those who knows the importance of education but doesn’t have the means from their various families to better their education.

    “I am sure that, there is no relation of mine that I can’t take care of, but there are some who have this certificate but do not have anyone that would train them further in their education because there is no means.

    “So, I want you to see yourself as very lucky to have come through this very particular process. It is not all about going to the overseas to study. If God has given you this opportunity, you should use it very well and make the best out of it. We want to develop people and it is based on one of the promises I have made during my campaign that, one key area I will do my best is on human capital development.”

     

  • Microfinance Bank gives scholarship

    A total of 611 pupils and students attending public and private secondary and tertiary institutions have been awarded scholarships by the LAPO Microfinance bank.

    A breakdown showed that students in tertiary institutions got N100,000; those in privately-owned secondary schools were awarded N80,000, while N28,000 and N35,000 were awarded to pupils of public secondary schools.

    Chairperson of the LAPO Scholarship Board, Prof Christiana Okojie, however warned parents against diverting the scholarship fund to private businesses.

    Prof Okojie disclosed that investigations showed that parents of previous awardees did not use the fund to pay the children’s school fees but rather diverted funds for other uses.

    Okojie shocked parents present when she said that the cheques would not be issued in their names but in the name of the schools attended by the beneficiaries.

    She said over 5,600 students have benefitted from the scheme since it started in 2006 from the award of $10,000 by the Managing Director of LAPO Micro Finance bank, Dr. Godwin Ehogiamusoe.

    She said: “We were told that many parents did not pay fees. We have decided to stop giving cheques. You are supposed to pay the school fees first. This scholarship is to help the children. We want your children to do well. Godwin made sacrifice to establish scholarship.  Those beneficiaries in the university played some tricks. We heard one of them travelled abroad. Don’t misuse this opportunity.”

    Prof Okojie also counseled the parents to monitor their wards’ academics, warning that the scholarship would be withdrawn if they perform poorly.

    “We will withdraw scholarship of those not doing well in school.  Tell your children to do well. Those that benefitted are not doing well in school. We are not happy with those we have given scholarship especially at the secondary school level. Tell your children to read their books,” she said.

    Dr. Ehigiamusoe on his part said the scholarship was part of LAPO Microfinance Corporate Social Responsibility to the society.

    He said the purpose was to celebrate children of the bank’s clients.

    “It is a cashless process. We identified the challenged in our environment. We are doing things that will promote the environment and give social empowerment to our clients,” he said.

    Ehigiamusoe said skill acquisition has been introduced to bridge the gap between those in school and others not able to make it.

     

  • Lagos plans ‘scholarship’ for artisans

    Lagos plans ‘scholarship’ for artisans

    Very soon, there will be some form of empowerment for artisans from the Lagos State government.

    Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs Olabisi Ariyo said this at the presentation of bursary and local scholarship to students indigenous to Lagos State last Wednesday.

    Mrs Ariyo said the plan to extend the form of scholarship beyond formal education to technical and vocational education is a demonstration of the government’s commitment to the development of all aspects of education.

    “The state government is committed to the promotion of Technical Education and Skill Acquisition in order to support and empower brilliant trainees to be self-reliant.  The proposal to provide assistance for artisans such as plumbers, mechanics, welders, etc…is in the pipeline,” she said.

    Bursaries of between N20,000 and N50,000 were presented to 1,596 students attending various tertiary institutions nationwide.  Four hundred brilliant students screened also got scholarships worth N200,000 (for undergraduates), N300,000 (postgraduates) and N400,000 (PHD); while 192 students in the Nigerian Law School and Maritime Academy, Oron were presented with N200,000 as bursaries.

    The bursaries and scholarship disbursed was worth N282,560,850.

    Mrs Omauton Jegede, Director, Lagos State Scholarship Board, also said the Lagos State government had approved the of release of funds to pay outstanding bursaries worth N231,465,000 to 6,940 old beneficiaries.

    She urged the recipients to make judicious use of the grants to further their academic pursuit.

    “Let me advise the lucky beneficiaries to make the best use of this award.  Do not see it as a meal ticket doled out to you by the state government or your own share of the state’s cake.  Use the award to empower yourselves towards excelling in your studies.  What we have done is to assist you to achieve your goal of higher education and equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to attain your aspirations and ambitions in life,” she said.

    The students were presented with ATM Verve cards of Skye Bank and FCMB. Some of the beneficiaries were receiving for the first time, while were collecting for the second or third time.

    First time recipient, Simisola Tiamiyu, a 300-Level Accounting student of the Lagos State University (LASU), said the N25,000 she received would be invested in a small business.

    “The bursary is worth it.  I can start up something with this.  I make clothes.  I have decided to make some and sell to my friends,” she said.

    Another student, Sultan Danija, who is studying Statistics at the Federal University of Technology (FUTA), said he was collecting the bursary, worth N30,000 for the third time.  He praised Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for approving the payment on time.

    “We were not expecting the bursary to come this early after a new government was sworn in so we are really happy.  We thank the governor for the timeliness,” he said.

  • Lawmaker gives scholarship to 26 pupils

    Lawmaker gives scholarship to 26 pupils

    Senator Oluremi Tinubu yesterday gave N100,000 annual scholarship to 26 students from the Lagos Central.

    The money was handed over to the beneficiaries during 15th Town Hall meeting she had with her constituents at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

    She said the beneficiaries, who were short-listed from 45 students, would each receive N100,000 per year for four years.

    Senator Tinubu also gave N20,000 to each of the 19 other students, who did not qualify for the scholarship.

    Giving a report on her stewardship, the lawmaker said 255 General Certificate of Examination (GCE), O Level forms were distributed across the senatorial district for indigent pupils, urging them to study hard and ex cel in the exams.

    She said 200 Consat decoders were distributed in partnership with the Television Continental (TVC), to party leaders, residents and constituents with two months subscription of N2000/month paid.

    Senator Tinubu said no fewer than 200 expectant mothers and lactating women benefitted from 100 cartons of milk, donated by the Lagos monarch, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, to support her vision.

    Under the Youth Empowerment and Skills Acquisition Scheme (YESAS), she said 10 candidates were short-listed and inducted to participate in the Niger Dock Short Course Training, which would last three weeks.

    While restating her commitment to other initiatives, such as the Petty Traders Empowerment Capital Scheme (PETECS), Elderly Citizens Assistance Scheme (ECAS) and Widows Economic Empowerment Scheme (WEES), Senator Tinubu assured that she would continue to do her best to better the lives of the people.

    She said the drug rehabilitation centre, as well as the Modern Market in Ajah, which she started in the last Assembly, were ongoing and receiving attention.

  • Shell scholarship for 60 Southsouth indigent pupils

    THE Anglo-Dutch multi-national, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Nigeria Limited has offered 60 pupils from public primary schools in the Southsouth zone admission into four top private boarding secondary schools in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital under her Cradle-to-Career (C 2 C), scholarship scheme.

    The scheme is designed for gifted children from indigent background under Shell joint partnership with NNPC/TEPN/Agip Oil Company, but operated by Shell.

    The 60 beneficiaries from Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa states are the sixth batch since the programme began in 2009 – bringing to 350 the total number of children reached so far.

    Presenting his address at the award/closing ceremony of the 2015 orientation camp held for the new inductees in Port Harcourt on Monday, the country chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Okunbor Osagie said the initiative offers the pupils opportunity to enjoy quality education at no cost to their families.

    Represented by General Manager, External Relation Shell, Igo Weli, he added that the pupils passed through rigorous selection process and competitive examinations before selected from among over 400 applicants.

    “These are 60 gifted young people, who probably would not have had the opportunity to access the kind of quality secondary education that they will get through this programme,” he said.

    He said the two-week orientation programme was to introduce them to academics, character and psychological training “to integrate them into their new learning environment.”

    He expressed optimism that the scheme would help develop a sound human resource base for development in Nigeria.

    The pupils would be posted to Archdeacon Brown Education Centre (ABEC), Brookstone Secondary School, Bloombreed High School and Jephthah Comprehensive College.

    Responding to the gesture, the Permanent Secretary, Rivers state Ministry of Education, Minaebi Micheal-West; lauded the efforts and contribution of Shell in education development in the region.

    He saId: “We admit that education sector is capital intensive, however, the state government has made a law that made education free and compulsory that any parent who does not send a child to school at least at the UBE level can be charged to court, but education in the state is free up to secondary school level.

    “The difficulty the government faces in running free education make us to appreciate the private sector and companies like SPDC, who have keyed into this sector because it is a burden that the government alone cannot carry. The involvement of SHELL to education service delivery is heart-warming and commendable.”

     

  • Ex-CAMPUSLIFE man gives scholarship to pupils

    Ex-CAMPUSLIFE man gives scholarship to pupils

    A former CAMPUSLIFE reporter at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Reuben Agu, has given scholarship to pupils of UNICAL Staff School during the 31st graduation. The beneficiaries, who also won various categories of awards and prizes, were the best among the pupils graduating from the school.

    The beneficiaries were presented with the prizes at the event held in the school hall. They include pupils in nursery, kindergarten and Grade 1 to 4.

    Reuben, who gave out the scholarship through his foundation, said he was motivated by the performance of the pupils when he observed his National Youth Service with the school.

    Reuben, who is now a lecturer at the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology in UNICAL, said he was using the scholarship to recognise the effort of the pupils and to encourage them to work hard for excellent results.

    He encouraged the beneficiaries to focus on what they are taught in the class, telling them not to hesitate to ask their teachers whenever they face challenges in their studies. He praised the school authorities for giving him the opportunity to give back to the society.

    The Headmistress, Mrs Florence Eleng, was full of praise for the donor, describing the scholarship as a kind gesture. She said the prizes would encourage the pupils to work harder and sustain moral standard in the school.

    Mrs Eleng said: “This is not the first time Reuben will be donating to the school. When he was a Corps member here, he purchased and donated 14 white magic boards to the school. The magic boards have made the school to teach effectively.”

    A beneficiary, Ejiro Olose, said the scholarship would boost her zeal to strive for excellence. Another pupil, Essien Okon, promised to study hard to achieve his dream of studying Medicine and Surgery.

    Dignitaries at the event included the UNICAL Vice-Chancellor, Prof James Epoke, and Prof Simeon Utsalo.

  • Graduand caps feat with scholarship

    Graduand caps feat with scholarship

    A graduating  pupil of Regina Mundi Girls’ Secondary School, Iwo, Osun State (RMGSSI), Miss Gbadebo Oyinade was the cynosure at the school’s graduation.

    Oyinade, who won several awards,  and capped it with an A’ Level scholarship, was full of excitement. She told The Nation that she did not believe she was intelligent, but that her achievement was through divine intervention.

    She said: “When I heard I got 273 in Universal Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), I did not believe it. It was like a dream come true. It was all thanks to God. I would just advise my mates to believe in themselves because this is a proof that anybody can make it. You just have to work hard and pray harder.”

    Oyinade also got a 50 per cent reduction in her tuition, courtesy of Educational Advancement Centre, an Advanced  ‘A’ Level Institute in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, based on her brilliant performance in a computer-based test conducted by the centre in in Osogbo on July 5.

    At the school’s 15th valedictory service, the graduands were resplendent in their black and gold gowns with jewelry adorning their necks and wrists. They were elegant in their high-heeled shoes.

    The event, which brought together parents, teachers and pupils to celebrate another academic success, held on the school’s premises.

    The school’s Principal, Rev. Sis Mary Anuforo,  said they had kindled a fire in the outgoing queens that would banish ignorance from them.

    Rev Anuforo urged them to be good ambassadors of their homes and school and show their peers that they are a privileged group. They should be modest in their actions, polite in their words and maintain a smiling face to spread the radiant joy of their alma matter.

    Chairman, Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), Lady Bona Fasakin, said the management and parents were proud of the graduating pupils because they spent six years studying.

    “There is a saying that ‘to whom much is given, much is expected’, the management and parents are proud of them all and, particularly, her (Gbadebo). It is what the school has given  her that she has given us,” she said.

    Fasakin added: “But even at that, there is an adage: ‘You can take a horse to the river, but you cannot force the horse to drink.’ We have taken her to the river, she has drunk the water and she has produced. She encourages other students and that at least, she should be their selling point. I would encourage others to emulate her.”

    Highlights of the ceremony included the launch of the  school’s yearbook. Others were songs, a recitation and a drama presentation. Prizes were also given to the students, who came tops in the various subjects. The overall best in Science and Humanities in Senior Secondary School (SSS 3) were Olagunju Imoleayo and Chukuma Ijeoma.

     

  • Obiano offers scholarship to three orphans

    Obiano offers scholarship to three orphans

    • As tears flow during burial of accident victims of father, wife, son

    It was all tears yesterday at Enugwu-Ukwu in Njikoka local government area of Anambra State when three members of a family who died in a recent motor accident were laid to rest.

    Joseph-Mary, his wife, Celestia and son Richard Odinigwe died in the Sunday, July 12, accident at the Agu-Awka junction in Awka, the state capital.

    Three other children of the late Mr. and Mrs. Odinigwe survived the accident.

    Governor Willie Obiano, speaking at the funeral mass for the deceased at St Anthony Catholic Church, Enugwu-Ukwu, said the state government would sponsor the education of the survivors to university level.

    The governor who consoled the Odinigwe family for the tragic loss described the survival of younger Odinigwes  as a miracle.ý

    “There is no doubt that God’s mercy was at work. Anyone who visited the site of that accident like I did with my wife after visiting the children at the hospital can attest to the miracle. May their souls rest in peace,” he said.

    In his sermon, the Spiritual Director of Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Ukeh, Rev Fr. Emmanuel Obinma, said death is a leveller that spares no one, and that it comes with pain and sorrow “when we lose friends and relatives.”

    He prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased.

    Until his death, Joseph –Mary Odinigwe was Personal Assistant to the Father Obinma.

    “I was out of the country, but I tried very much to reach him on phone to no avail, perhaps the message would have altered his movement on that day,” the priest said.

    Joseph-Mary’s brother, Uchenna Odinigwe, thanked the governor for his support for the family since the incident.

  • Stella Maris’ best graduating pupil gets scholarship

    Stella Maris’ best graduating pupil gets scholarship

    The management of Stella Maris Schools, Abuja has given Master David Ibok-Essien a six-year scholarship.

    The presentation was made during the school’s 14th graduation.

    Ibok-Essien was rewarded for his excellent performance.

    He got the highest score in Mathematics, English language, Basic Science and emerged as the best graduating pupil in the 2014/2015 academic session.

    The Academic Advisor, Stella Maris Nursery and Primary School, Mr. James Arlo, said Ibok-Essien’s performance was a reflection of the school’s high academic standard and quality education.

    He said Ibok-Essien also emerged as the best pupil in a Mathematics competition organised by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), after competing with pupils from the six geopolitical zones.

    The final will hold abroad.

    Arlo attributed the school’s success and academic distinction to the foundation laid by the late Mrs. Uche Anyaene and Pat Anyaene, an architect.

    The school was founded on September 23, 1996.

    Mrs. Anyaene, who retired as an assistant director of Education, FCT Education Secretariat, was a disciplinarian.

    Arlo said an annex was built to meet the needs of the parents, adding that their teachers were well- motivated and equipped.

    “In Stella Maris, a child in primary 5 is as good as a child in primary 6 elsewhere. The curriculum we are using makes the child better. All topics are usually treated in primary 5, which prepare the pupils for secondary school. You know parents are always in a rush. They want their children to finish in time.” he said.

    The event was attended by dignitaries.