In keeping with its humanitarian gesture and commitment to the people’s welfare as well as vision to help
parents augment the cost of educating their children, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s administration in Enugu State
has awarded scholarship to 300 undergraduates of the state
for the 2017/2018 academic session at a total sum of Thirty Million Naira (N30,000,000). The scholarship commences this September.
The beneficiaries of the
scheme who were equitably drawn from the
three senatorial zones of the State are entitled to N100,000 each, while all physically-challenged undergraduates of the
state who applied for the scheme were selected irrespective of their
cut-off marks.
The gesture was part of the decisions taken at the State Executive Council
meeting held at the Government House, Enugu, presided over by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
The beneficiaries, according to the state’s Commissioner for Information, Dr. Godwin Udeuhele, who briefed journalists after the meeting, “must be a 200 level students in institutions of higher learning within the country studying science and technology, medical sciences, environmental sciences, mathematics, agricultural sciences and special education courses”‘ . He added the scholarship scheme was advertised, while 300 candidates were taken from the 2,704 shortlisted.
Explaining further, the state’s commissioner for education, Prof. Uche
Eze, said that the initiative was conceived by Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration to give every indigene of Enugu State a sense
of belonging irrespective of social status or political leaning.
“If the cut-off mark is strictly adhered to, you will see that a
particular senatorial zone will be denied the opportunity since
everybody is not equally gifted intellectually. So the cut-off mark
varies to ensure that equal opportunity was given to beneficiaries of
the three senatorial zones.”
The council, the Information Commissioner said, approved the employment of 10
additional resident doctors for ESUT Teaching Hospital Parklane.
He explained that although an earlier approval and recruitment
of resident doctors had been made, there was need to employ more
doctors given the increasing number of patients attending the hospital
on a daily basis.
Also approved was the total sum of N57,325,443 for the purchase of
utility vehicles to be equipped with basic and technical rescue
requirement for the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA),
the coordinating agency for all emergencies and disasters in
collaboration with NEMA, FRSC, Civil Defence, among others.
Dr. Udeuhele also informed journalists that the Council equally approved the
commencement of tree-planting exercise to be undertaken by members of
the Enugu Diaspora Organization (EDO). This project according to him
would complement the city beautification efforts of the state
government.
He said that the flag-off of the first phase will start with the
planting of about 1000 neem and eucalyptus tree seedlings at Airport
Flyover to Airport and New Market Flyover to New Market junction, all
in the metropolis.
