In line with stepping down Governor Umahi’s policies and programmes in the rural areas, the council chairman of Ohaukwu LGA, has paid bursary to students in his local government area.
The council boss, Barrister Clement Odah, was the first local government chairman to carry out this government intervention of assisting students in various tertiary institutions of higher learning by paying bursary to about 1, 200 undergraduates.
The exercise costs the local government a whooping sum of N9, 600, 000.
The bursary was distributed on Monday, Nov. 11, 2019 at the council headquarters were the beneficiaries turned out in their numbers.
Speaking with Barrister Odah, he noted that the underlining reason for the existence of the third tier of government is to bring government closer to the people, thereby empathizing with them, appreciate their difficulties and lessen their burdens by responding to their social needs.
He pointed out that these factors moved him to pay bursary to 1,200 undergraduates in the local government to enable them get at least textbooks for themselves without tasking their parents for such.
It was gathered that the last time bursary was paid in the local government was 12 years ago.
Odah stated; “I was happy when I saw the joy and happiness on the faces of the beneficiaries. It was as if they have been liberated from years of suffering and it is on record that Ohaukwu is the first local government to pay bursary to 1,200 students in the whole state’’.
He said that each student got N8000 which was double of what he got as bursary when he was a student.
“That was about twice of what was paid the last time bursary was paid which I benefited from as a student.
“The sum of N3, 700 was paid to students then, and I told myself that I must pay at least twice of what I received”, he added.
Odah revealed that the local government intends to double the money and also expand the number of students that will benefit in the near future.
Asked the criteria for the selection, he maintained that a beneficiary must be in a higher institution of learning, whether College of Education, Polytechnic or University.
A beneficiary is also expected to present as evident, his/her last school fees receipt and school identification card as well as admission later, adding that the person must also be an indigene of Ohaukwu local government area.
“And based on available data, the gender of the beneficiaries was 50/50. We have to accommodate many women because the chairperson of the local government insisted that her constituents which are primarily Ohaukwu women should be well represented”, he stated.
