FCTA awards over N200m scholarship to 8,236 students

Favour Ishember, Abuja

Secretary for Education Secretariat, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Sani El-katuzu has commenced disbursement of N210,319,640 to 8,236 students for the 2020/2021 session in the FCT.

El-katuzu who disclosed this while performing a symbolic presentation of scholarship award letters to some of the beneficiaries at the FCTA Secretariat, on Wednesday, reiterated commitment of the Muhammad Musa Bello led FCT Administration in providing education assistance to indigent pupils and students of the FCT at all levels.

While congratulating the beneficiaries, El-Katuzu charged them to make judicious use of the “learning materials and money given” to them, and called on  well-meaning individuals, corroborate bodies and organisations to support education of “our children”, because it was no longer feasible for government alone to  shoulder the responsibility of educating Nigerians.

Director, FCT Scholarship Board Mrs. Hannah David in a welcome address earlier disclosed that out of the total of 8236 beneficiaries,  primary schools got 2,229 slots, junior secondary schools benefited 2,184; 948 for senior secondary schools and skills acquisition centres were awarded 179.

Other categories include special needs centres which got 343, Nigerian tertiary institutions 2318, while foreign tertiary institutions got 30 and five braille  students, among other.

Mrs David revealed that her Board has been granted approval by the FCT Minister to key into a special needs programme with the Nigerian Farm Craft Centre for the Blind, Isheri Olofin, Lagos, under the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

She also stated that the Board has been given another ministerial approval to begin batched-training of best 20 indigenous FCT students in WAEC and NECO examinations in foreign tertiary institutions every award session.

In his remarks, Chairman, FCT Scholarship Board and the Gomo of Kuje, HRH Alhaji Haruna Jibrin Tanko, commended the Secretary and FCTA for keeping fate with the awards, even as he decried dwindling scholarship budget, saying insufficient funds kept piling up scholarship applications.

Represented by Mr. Usman Adejo, the Gomo also charged the beneficiaries to use the scholarships judiciously and make the FCT proud.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, President, Abuja Indigenous Students Association, AISA, Abdullazeez Ibn Abdullahi expressed gratitude to the board and FCTA, and pledged they would make them proud by justifying the investment in them.

He also appealed for increment in the funding to enable more students to benefit