Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
The Benue State Government, on Monday, plans to commence the payment of scholarship allowances worth N150 million to over 6,000 Benue State indigenes undergoing studies across Nigeria universities.
The Chairman, Benue State Scholarship Board, Chief Joseph Nyam, disclosed this during a press conference at the Board premises as part of activities proceeding the disbursement.
He explained that N100 million would be disbursed to benefiting undergraduates who are studying various courses at the universities while N50 million would go to those students currently at the Nigeria law school.
Chief Nyam revealed that the state government had again approved 100% increase of the scholarship allowances which was already factored into the current process of disbursement.
According to the chairman, students whose allowances were N5,000 only would now take home N10,000 only, adding that the payment of Law students who are paid N200,000 each is ongoing and would soon be completed.
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He explained that students of Benue origin schooling at various tertiary institutions across Nigeria, have not receive scholarship allowances for the past seven years, a development he said, had put them in tight academic situations.
Chief Nyam revealed that the Benue State Scholarship Board had existed without a constituted board for over 20 years which has slowed down its activities and commended governor Samuel Ortom for deeming it fit to reconstituted the board and equally provided enough funds to enhanced its functionality.
“At the inauguration of the board by the governor, we met a moribund structure and a highly dispirited workforce. It appears that everything was long forgotten and abandoned. For example the pittance called scholarship allowances were also not paid to students for a long time.
“The members of staff were idle and disillusioned. Today, however, the ugly situation has been reversed and by my estimation Benue will soon post the best scholarship regime in the the country courtesy of governor Ortom, who has a penchant for history making and record breaking”.
In his contribution, the executive secretary of the board, Dr. Isaac Igbe, commended the governor for his undiluted and unparalleled attention given to the education sub-sector.
He promised to work hard and eliminate the economic and social quagmire confronting the board.
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On his part, the national president of National Union of Benue State Students (NUBESS), Comrade Pillah Roman, thanked the state government for the gesture and promised that they would conduct themselves in orderly manner to ensure that the money is adequately and judiciously disbursed to members.
While calling on the state governor to sustain the tempo, Comrade Pillah, said students would mobilized themselves to massively vote for governor Ortom come 2019 for having enhance academic learning in the state.