28 Aug Senate Leader Awards Scholarship To 540 students
Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba, has awarded over 540 scholarships to students from Cross River central senatorial district Ndome-Egba had during the electioneering period promised to institute several schemes to alleviate the sufferings of his people. And on assumption of office as the Senator representing the central Senatorial District, he introduced several schemes including special scheme for students in Law School; free computer training programme; micro-finance and scheme for the students pursuing theological studies.
But the Ndoma-Egba Scholarship scheme seems to have attracted much support as the Senator has spent the sum of over N51 million on 540 students for his Scholarship Scheme instituted in 2003 for Undergraduates and Post Graduate Students in Tertiary Institutions from the Senatorial Zone. Presenting the 2011/2012 scholarship award to 42 beneficiaries at Mirage hotels, Calabar, Senator Ndoma-Egba said that the scholarship scheme is one of his several schemes aimed at empowering the people of his constituency and other indigent Cross Riverians.
He said, “this is just undergraduate and post graduates students in tertiary institutions; and if you are asking how much has been spent on it so far, it is about N41 million,” adding “the scheme is not political, that he started it way back in 1983 on a smaller scale until 2003 when it was enlarged.” The Senate Leader said the aim of the scholarship scheme is among others, to assist the youths in Cross River Central Senatorial District realize their life ambition; to raise skilled manpower from his zone that would compete favourably in the labour market and mandated the board to track the products of the scheme after their National Youth Service to see how they are faring.
“Seeing them through school is one thing but making sure that they settle down after school is another thing. Usually they don’t get back, but I will urge them to try and get back because I will rather not see it as part of my constituency project,” he maintained.
He advised the beneficiaries to make maximum use of the scholarship by coming tops in their studies as this will assist him in securing employment for them, stressing “I pray that all my beneficiaries come out with first class so that this will be easier for me to help them secure employment’
In his view, the State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Offiong Offiong, said that the scholarship award was a complementary effort to the state government’s human capacity development
“This is another area that you have succeeded in complementing the efforts of the state government towards the human capacity development of Cross River Indigenes for economic empowerment,” he said.
Offiong, who was represented by Executive Secretary State Scholarship Board, Mr. Ebri Eteng, said that such partnership is necessary in order to move the state to greater heights.
“This Public Private Partnership will reduce financial burden on parents and students.”
It will also help in generating in our young ones, the spirit of healthy competition as well as attainment of academic excellence, ° he stated.
He called other well-meaning citizens of the state to emulate the senator in assisting the less privileged.
“Some well-meaning Individuals, philanthropists, organizations and groups are hereby urged to either float scholarship schemes or Trust Funds for the funding of education of the less privileged,” Offiong said.
Earlier, the Chairperson of the scholarship foundation, Dr. Margaret Ndoma-Egba, said that 30 Undergraduates and 12 Post-graduate students benefit from the scholarship award every year since 2008.
She said that five students are selected from each of the six Local Governments Areas of the senatorial district for the undergraduate while two are selected for the post graduate scheme.
“So since 2008, Sen. Ndoma-Egba has sponsored 270 undergraduates and 48 post graduate students totaling 318 from the Cross River Central Senatorial District in tertiary institutions across the Country.
However, some of the beneficiaries, who expressed gratitude to the senator for the gesture, appealed to other politicians to emulate his exemplary leadership as that is one of the ways to assist those who cannot afford to go to school especially at this trying period.
One of them, Emmanuelle Paul Ekayi, an under-graduate student from Etung local government area, described the award as the greatest thing that have happened to her.
She said, “I am so happy, you can see the joy on my face, it is wonderful, God will bless the Senator for finding us worthy to be part of his scholarship programme.”
Another beneficiary Kepi Ikpi, a post-graduate student, said the scholarship is a big relief to them, adding “It gives me joy that a politician is doing this to the less-privileged in the society and if others should do the same it will really go a long way to wipe away illiteracy in our society”
Ikpi, however, appealed that the Senator and the board should consider the cost of research for the post-graduates students as researches are becoming increasingly more expensive than the school fees.
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