By Ifeoma Aka
Enugu – A US-based Nigerian philanthropist, Mrs Ada Emmanuel-Igbo, has announced a scholarship award to 14 indigent students in Oji-River Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu state.
Emmanuel-Igbo tagged the award, ‘’Mission Educational Support/ Scholarship to Umuome Inyi in Oji-River LGA of Enugu state’’, saying that she wanted to use the gesture to give back to society.
She said that the essence was was to ensure that no undergraduate in Umuome Inyi dropped out of school due to their inability to pay school fees.
The philantropist, who was represented by her husband, Dr Emmanuel Igbo, thanked God for making the award a reality.
She said that the beneficiaries were in their final year in different tertiary institutions.
She said that those in the continuing education category would be given school fees to cover two sessions to ensure that they did not drop out of school.
Emmanuel-Igbo said that the award would be enough to cover their tuition fees within the period.
Mr Uche Ugwu, the Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, who officially launched the award, underscored the importance of education to human life.
Ugwu said that the scholarship would go a long way in assisting the beneficiaries to pay their tuition fees and urged them to utilise the gesture judiciously.
He also commended Emmanuel-Igbo for her kind gesture and called on other wealthy sons and daughters of the state to emulate her.
Also, Mr Jeff Mba, representing Oji River onstituency in the House of Assembly, thanked Emmanuel-Igbo for her philantropy.
Mba said that Oji River was known for producing intellectuals, who were currently doing well in their chosen fields.
He said that the gesture was in line with the state government’s agenda of making education accessible and affordable to all indigenes and residents of the state.
A beneficiary, Miss Chinaza Ugochukwu, an undergraduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), prayed God to bless the initiator for assisting their poor parents to pay their school fees.
Ugochukwu called on other wealthy individuals in the state to emulate the initiative so that the society would be a better place.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the beneficiaries were drawn from UNN, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu and other higher institutions in the state.
(NAN)
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