The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) on Wednesday said that it has spent a whooping sum of N1.2 billion on scholarship awards for the youths in the country, since the scheme began 20 years ago.
The Deputy Managing Director of the Gas company, Sadeeq Mai-Bronu disclosed this at the median NLNG Scholarship day celebration, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The event was reportedly in commemoration of the company’s interventions in education through scholarships.
It served as a get together for old and new awardees of the scheme by the Company, just as it served as a time to take stock of the efforts of the company in the area over the given period, said Mai-Bronu.
He said “First, NLNG has brought together the old and new beneficiaries of her various scholarship schemes in the first NLNG’s scholars day to commemorate and celebrate our intervention in education in Nigeria.
“Secondly, we have brought youths together, people who are our hope for the future to give support to one another, rub minds and raise ideas on how to make the NLNG scholarship experience better.
“We are excited because we see all sorts of possibilities in your eyes; possibilities that will engender prosperity in our great country, Nigeria. In the country at the moment, there is enormous clamour for more involvement of youths in leadership positions, both in the private and public sector, to help build our great country.
“The transformation of our nation cannot succeed without youths, like you, that is why NLNG continues to invest in Nigerian youths in order to secure the future of the country and help build a better Nigeria, in line with her corporate vision,” he added.
Mai-Bornu also said NLNG started its education intervention programme for its host communities in 1998 with the Undergraduates Scholarship Scheme which was later expanded to include students from other parts of the country in 2003. He added that NLNG has awarded scholarships to 2,956 undergraduates in various universities in Nigeria.
“The NLNG post-primary scholarship started in 2012 to help high performing Primary six pupils in our host communities to access secondary education. The scheme started with 28 beneficiaries and in 2017, this number grew to 222 beneficiaries with about the sum of N800 million spent till date.
“Twenty-six of the pioneer scholars of this scheme completed their secondary education in June this year and some have been admitted into various courses in different universities.
“The NLNG post graduate scholarship programme was put in place to support the emergence of Nigerian experts in such fields as Environmental Studies, Engineering, Management, Accountancy, Economics, Information Technology, Geology, Banking, Law and Medicine.
“The scheme was launched in October 2012 with an annual intake of between 10 and 15 beneficiaries to study in leading universities in the United Kingdom. The value of the scholarship is between USD$45,000 and USD$67,500 per awardee each year, depending on the course of study.
“Fifty six young Nigerians have so far benefited from this scholarship. The twelve (12) scholarships to be awarded today will bring the total number of beneficiaries of this particular programme to 68.
“NLNG will be spending about NGN200million to cater for tuition, accommodation, living expenses and return tickets to and from UK for all beneficiaries; bringing the total expenditure on this scheme since inception to about NGN1.2 billion,” he stated.
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