Port Harcourt — The Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area, Evans Bipi, has awarded bursary to over 400 undergraduates of the local government in tertiary institutions across the country.
The beneficiaries who are indigenes of the area, were drawn from over 16 universities, polytechnics, and colleges of health sciences. They constitute the first batch of the bursary scheme by the chairman.
The gesture which is anchored on the policy of the caretaker chairman on education development, aims to promote academic excellence; ease the financial burden of tertiary education on parents and guardians; and reduce the rate of school dropouts by indigent students of Ogu/Bolo LGA.
The disbursement of the bursary to the students is an intervention to salvage the effect of the current economic crunch in the country where school authorities are in dire straits to maintain the standard of education, while parents and guardians struggle financially to sustain the education of their children and wards in higher institutions.
Bipi had in his inaugural speech, expressed commitment to the welfare of the student community, just as he has earlier promised robust youth development policy of empowering young people with education and skills development to enable them reach their full potential.
Bipi said he considered bursary payment as a valuable investment in the future leaders of Ogu/Bolo LGA and a deliberate step towards securing the future of young people.
He said it is a way of alleviating financial hardship faced by students of the area in tertiary institutions, thereby easing the financial burden on their families.
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The Secretary of the Bursary Committee and former vice-chairman of the council, Christy Tamunobereton-ari, commended the caretaker chairman for alleviating the plight of the students in tertiary institutions going through financial difficulties in their academic pursuit at this challenging time.
She stated that the move shows that the caretaker chairman is attuned and sensitive to the plight of the student community.
The Special Assistant on Student Affairs to the Ogu/Bolo Caretaker Chairman, Tamuno-Opubo Eretoru, described the gesture as a timely safety net to the students and a testament of the chairman's unwavering commitment to the advancement of education in the area.
Beneficiaries of the bursary scheme that spoke with journalists during the verification exercise at the council, said it was the first time in their academic pursuit of benefitting from such financial support from the Local Government Council.
They expressed delight and thanked Bipi for the gesture, while promising to channel the funds to the intended purpose.
The verification exercise for continuation of the bursary payment to the second batch of undergraduates is expected to commence soon.
