Abia: Beneficiaries of foreign scholarship charged to be good ambassadors

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has assured that qualified Abia youths will be sent abroad to study in universities of their choice before the end of this year under the Abia State Scholarship Board. The governor gave the assurance during a meeting he held with the Chairman and the Executive Secretary of Abia State Scholarship Board, as well as 28 inaugural beneficiaries of the overseas scholarship programme at the Government House, Umuahia.

He said the exercise was to ensure that as many Abia youths with aspirations were provided opportunities and avenues to express themselves and realise their ambitions.

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He cautioned the beneficiaries not to see the gesture as an opportunity to abscond, warning that they would be under constant supervision by the board which would also demand periodic reports of their academic records.

He said, “If you do well, you have opened the door for other people to come. But if you do not do well, you would have shut the door against your brothers and sisters who will come afterwards.”

Earlier, the Chairman of the Abia State Scholarship Board, Ambassador Empire Kanu, said the reasons for the choice of universities in Australia and India were based on reputable records, adding that the development would give the beneficiaries the opportunity to leverage on the technological advancement and academic excellence of the institutions.

Presenting the beneficiaries to the governor, the Executive Secretary of the board, Mr Chukwuka Daniel, said they were currently working on a total number of 74 beneficiaries while those whose visas were ready were currently having online lectures and would soon depart to Australia and India.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr Ekele Nnaemeka and Esther Okezie thanked the governor for the opportunity to further their education abroad and promised that they would study hard to justify the confidence reposed in them, as well as remain good ambassadors of the state.