Senate President awards N900Million scholarship to Students —- says Education 'll eliminate societal ills

President of the Senate Senator David Mark yesterday awarded  about N100Million scholarship to 1,719 students of Benue state origin in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

Since  2005, the Senate President under his David  Mark Scholarship Foundation (DMSF) has offered scholarship to 12,685 students so far in the tertiary category.

This is besides other categories of orphans , gifted children  and special awards numbering about 1,000 enjoying full scholarship from primary school to University level  under the Foundation.

So far, about N900Million has been spent on the scholarship scheme since its inception nine years ago.

Distributing the awards to the benefitting students in the premises of the National Open University of Nigeria(NOUN) , Otukpo study Centre in Benue state,  Senator Mark said he took education as his pet project because the sector is the only road-map and indeed the  bed rock of any development .

He added ” with good and quality education , most of the societal ills plaguing our nation  including armed robbery, kidnapping , terrorism and insurgency would be eliminated.”

The Senate President therefore implored the beneficiaries to justify the awards by exhibiting good conducts and studying hard in order to come out in flying colours adding ” only your success in your academic pursuits would justify this scholarship”.

Senator Mark also used the occasion to call for prayers for the release of abducted girls by Boko Haram from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno state more than a month ago.

He prayed that God touches the heart of their abductors to release the girls unconditionally .

Earlier, the chairman of the DMSF Board , Professor James Alachi expressed appreciation to the Senate President for sustaining the scheme saying that the programme which was flagged off in 2005 with N5,000 per student is now N20,000 per beneficiary.

Professor Alachi explained that this is outside beneficiaries from the special awards, gifted girl-Child as well as orphans and vulnerable children categories who are on full scholarship from the primary school to tertiary level.

He implored corporate organisations and other  well meaning Nigerians to compliment the efforts  of government in the task of educating the citizenry.

Signed:
Paul Mumeh, Chief Press Secretary to the President of the Senate.