The Delta State Government has approved the release of funds for the payment of the 2019/2020 Students’ Special Assistance Scheme, otherwise known as bursary, for students of the state origin in tertiary institutions across the country.
Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, who disclosed this in a statement, on Tuesday, in Asaba, said the payment will commence before the end of the week.
He said the continuous payment of the bursary to Delta State students despite the economic hardship in the country was a further demonstration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s commitment to human capital development of the state.
Aniagwu urged Delta students to take advantage of the bursary payment to improve on their studies and continue to be good ambassadors of the state in wherever they are studying.
Meanwhile Four hundred and sixty women drawn from the 25 local government areas of Delta State who had successfully completed their training under the Women Empowerment and Skills Acquisition Programme (WESAP) were presented with starter packs in their respective areas of vocation by the state government.
Speaking at the ceremony held at the event centre in Asaba, the state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa who congratulated beneficiaries of the programme, urged them to leverage on the opportunity provided for them by state government to enhance their socio-economic lives.
Governor Okowa enjoined them to use the knowledge and skills that they acquired during their training to positively impact on the lives of other Deltans, adding that the best way they could thank God or say thank you to the state government was to become an inspiring source of blessing to the society.
The governor maintained that growing a business requires a gradual process which, according to him, also required a lot of efforts and diligence, adding that they should be focused on what they do and be connected with the right people.
“As I congratulate you all, I want also to let you know that we are in a challenging time because of the COVID-19 pandemic which is going through a second wave now across the world, Nigeria is not excluded, the economy is challenging and that means it becomes tougher to be able to succeed in the economy of today.
“But I do know and believe that with the enthusiasm that I see in you and what I did see on the day of inauguration before the training started that you people are passionate and you are committed to succeeding.
“A passionate heart will never fail in whatever it seeks to do as long as you also connect to the Lord, our God because, you need the grace of God to succeed but that passion from the inside is very important for us to succeed,” he said.
While saying that his administration believed in the empowerment of women because of its conviction that when a woman is empowered, the family is empowered, Senator Okowa disclosed that studies have shown that the more women are empowered, the more successful the families would become.
In her remarks, the wife of the governor, Dame Edith Okowa, who expressed appreciation to God for the success of the programme, urged the 460 beneficiaries of WESAP to use the starter packs given to them by the state government to enhance their economic fortunes and that of their respective families, adding that they should also train other Deltans to enable them benefit from their vocational knowledge.
Some of the beneficiaries of the state government training programme expressed profound appreciation to the state government for equipping them with the necessary tools needed to create wealth for themselves and generate employment for others.
Highlight of the ceremony which was attended by top government functionaries was the presentation of starter packs to some of the beneficiaries by the wife of the state governor, Dame Edith Okowa.
