By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki.
The member representing Abakaliki North constituency in Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Victor Nwoke, has launched a new scholarship scheme and cleared 3-year tuition fees of 50 indigent undergraduates enrolled on the National Teachers Institute, NTI, with N8,050,000.
NATIONAL PANEL learnt that each student's fee for the first year is N71,000, N50,000 for the second year, and N40,000 for the third year. For the first year, Nwoke paid a total of N3,550,000 for the 50 students, as he cleared a total of N2,500,000 and N2,000,000 for their second and third year academic sessions, respectively.
Recall that the Lawmaker attracted the opening of the National Teachers Institute, NTI study centre in his community, Izzi Unuphu Community Secondary School Abakaliki, in Ebonyi State.
Interacting with journalists shortly after the flag-off of the scholarship scheme and official kick-off of the NTI study centre in Izzi Unuphu Secondary School, Nkaliki, Nwoke said he was poised to attract the school to reduce the suffering of his constituents travelling far and wide in other states of the federation to acquire education.
It was gathered that the new NTI study centre was named after the lawmaker, 'Victor Nwoke NTI Study Centre Izzi Unuphu Nkaliki, Ebonyi State.'
The flag-off of the scholarship scheme took place at Izzi Unuphu Secondary Secondary School, Nkaliki in Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Nwoke noted that he was moved to offset fees of 50 undergraduates for 3 years as a way to support Governor Francis Nwifuru's efforts in ensuring that citizens of the state have access to good education.
"My people are handicapped and constrained financially, and some of them have intentions of furthering their education, but pregnancy, marriage and other challenges prevented them, and they could not further their education.
"I considered it very important to attract the National Teachers Institute, NTI, all the way from Kaduna state, to be established in my community 'Izzi Unuphu Secondaryy School and this study centre will be named 'Victor Nwoke NTI study centre Izzi Unuphu secondary school Nkaliki, Abakaliki Ebonyi State.
"I attracted this institute here so that my people will not suffer to travel to Kaduna state or other states to get an education. It will be better for them to get it here. They don't need to pay for house rent, they don't need to go for labouring work to get money and travel to where they are schooling.
"I enrolled 50 students in this study centre, and I paid their school fees, their textbooks and everything else, they are on scholarship. They are going to study here for three years, and upon graduation, they will get a national certificate in education.
"I embarked on this scholarship scheme to support the governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, who has been doing well to ensure that the people of Ebonyi State garner good education," he stated.
Nwoke, however, tasked the members of his constituency to avail themselves of the opportunity to come into the new NTI study centre to be enrolled.
He further called on the council chairman of Abakaliki LGA, commissioners, SSA's, traditional rulers and other prominent stakeholders of Abakaliki North constituency to as well enrol people into the institute as a way to boost education in the area.
In a remark, the Acting Coordinator of the National Teachers Institute, NTI Ebonyi State office, Mr Ugwu Nicolas, said, with the look of things, he anticipate great progress that the study centre would grow and become a full-fledged centre.
He applauded the lawmaker for his determination and courage to embark on this scholarship scheme for the creation of this study centre, as well as for offsetting the fees of the beneficiaries for the next three years.
