By Henry Umahi
Former president of South Africa, Mr. Nelson Mandela, said: “Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”
Senator Victor Umeh is on the same page with Mandela on this. For the former national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, education is the best gift you can give to anyone, particularly those from humble backgrounds.
For this reason, Umeh has, over the years, invested heavily in the education of his constituents in various tertiary institutions across the country.
It was gathered that even after leaving the Senate where he represented Anambra Central Senatorial District, Umeh has not relented in offering succour to indigent students and empowering the youths.
In a chat, Umeh said: “I have continued doing all that I was known for whether in the Senate or not. I have been in the forefront of fighting for the rights of our people. The great things I was doing for my people I have continued to do them.
“My scholarship schemes are still running, producing graduates in various fields. In 2018, I gave, for a start, 76 university scholarships to students from Anambra Central Senatorial District from less privileged homes. This is the fourth year and 25 of them have graduated. The remaining ones will graduate at the end of this academic session.
“I have paid all their fees despite not being in the Senate. This is in addition to over 300 students I have on my scholarship in tertiary institutions in Nigeria.”
Umeh, who is the candidate of the Labour party for Anambra Central Senatorial District for the 2023 election, added that there are also students in secondary school under his scholarship.
Maintaining that his passion for service to his people remains paramount, he stated that the senate is a very important place to advance the cause of the people.
He said: “If I win the forthcoming election, the 10th Senate will know that somebody who stayed for only 17 months in the 8th Senate, will do something that all Nigerians will appreciate in terms of allocations for infrastructural development, appointment at all levels and anything government is expected to do for the people.
“I will help to fashion a new Nigeria in the process of lawmaking. In the 8th Senate, I was chairman of Labour Committee that fashioned out the new minimum wage bill and coming to Labour Party, therefore, has brought me to a familiar terrain”