Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The MTN Nigeria Foundation has offered scholarship awards and more to 380 Nigerian students, including visually impaired students, from various tertiary institutions in the country.
The Foundation, as part of its 2024 Scholarship Award, would also provide mentorship and networking as well as coding and digital skills among others to the student beneficiaries.
The Executive Director of the foundation, Mr Dennis Okoro, disclosed this in a remark at the 2024 MTN Scholarship Awards Ceremony (for students’ beneficiaries in South-East and South-South) held on Thursday in Enugu.
Okoro noted that the MTN foundation has been consistent in promotion of education, health, art, music and empowerment of Nigerians mostly youths in the past 13 years.
He said that its scholarship award scheme within the past 13 years had promoted academic brilliance, excellence and resilience among Nigeria students.
The executive director charged the beneficiaries to be committed, resilient and be focused on their education to maintain the scholarship award.
He noted that the MTN scholarship award was not just like other scholarships because the foundation had continued to award it to only intelligent, resilient and hard working students based on merit.
Okoro further pointed out that the “award is so competitive that for you to renew the scholarship, beneficiaries must maintain the same CGPA in academic performance required for it each year.”
“There are so many values attached to the scholarship, and the foundation does not just give the scholarship and abandon the beneficiaries.
“The foundation continued to teach them how to also push their digital and marketing skills after graduation and be well positioned in the labour market.
“MTN has a brand and we do not dilute it, if you have the MTN scholarship, know that you merited it and be consistent with your studies,” he said.
Okoro advised those leaving the scholarship and schooling stage after their graduation to be circumspect in the larger society.
“Above all, never place absolute trust in any human being but in God Almighty.”
Speaking, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State thanked the MTN Foundation for the scholarship award and for including people with disabilities.
Mbah, represented by the Commissioner for Children, Gender and Social Development, Mrs Ngozi Enih, said that the scheme was in line with the state government’s vision of inclusivity and digital up-scaling of skills of the youths.
“This administration is working hard to equip people of the state, especially youths, with digital literacy so that they will not be left behind,” he said.
In a goodwill message, the acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Polycarp Chigbu, commended MTN for its passion and commitment to raising the standard of education in the country.
Chigbu, represented by Prof. Johnson Urama, admonished the benefitting students to put in more hard work and innovation as well as continue to excel in their studies to become a shining light tomorrow.
In another goodwill message, Dr Ifeoma Nnaji, the Deputy Director of Centre for Disabilities and Special Needs in Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, thanked the communication giants for the priority giving to people with disabilities especially the visually impaired.
Nnaji said: “We are grateful to have 13 UNIZIK students benefit from this scholarship award scheme this year.
“The centre is appreciative of MTN foundation for giving our students, who are visually impaired, this rare opportunity.”
One of the benefiting students, Mr Chimaobi Chukwuegbo, a student of UNN, lauded MTN Foundation for the gesture “even in this financially difficult time.”
Chukwuegbo, a student of department of electrical-electronics, said that the scholarship would help him off-set the costs of his textbooks and research seminars he would conduct this year.
Highlights of the event were presentation of the scholarship award certificates to all the beneficiaries and the instant receipt of the N300,000 scholarship award money alert by the beneficiaries before the end of the ceremony.
