Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has announced the upward review of the scholarship package for beneficiaries of the Alex Otti Foundation.
The review shows an increase from One and fifty thousand naira (N150,000) to Two hundred and fifty thousand naira (N250,000).
A total of 34 students were selected for this year’s edition out of about 200 students who have so far received succour from the Alex Otti scholarship programme in the past.
Otti, who was speaking during the 2022-2023 Alex Otti Scholarship banquet held in Umuahia, pledged to continue his support to beneficiaries to enable them to achieve their full potential.
He disclosed that the scholarship scheme which started many years ago but formalised seven years ago is modelled in such a way that beneficiaries do not need to know anyone to succeed.
The governor further disclosed that the Foundation has no relationship with the Abia State government even as he said that there was a line between the Abia State finances and Alex Otti’s Foundation.
According to him, the initiative is a way of investing in the future and charged beneficiaries not to disappoint but rather to put in their best to excel.
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He said that the scholarship programme targets bright but indigent students of Abia Origin or those resident in the state.
Governor Otti used the forum to appreciate the management committee of the scholarship scheme for their input and for remaining objective to the vision of the Foundation without compromise.
In his speech, the deputy chief of staff to the governor and immediate past executive secretary of the Foundation, Chinedu Ekeke disclosed that the selection process was transparent, adding that the scholarship award is just an arm of the Alex Otti Foundation which has continued to empower the citizens.
He thanked Otti for giving himself the venture, adding that the governor never plays politics with excellence.
He urged the beneficiaries to maintain a high standard in education, pointing out that the Foundation made sure that beneficiaries must come from public tertiary institutions.
In his remarks, the Chairman planning committee and Head of Logistics, Maxell Umesi on behalf of the beneficiaries of the 2023 batch, thanked Otti for giving them the latitude to conduct the selection process transparently, noting that all beneficiaries were selected based on merit.
He noted that the Foundation has over the years produced about six first-class students, noting that the was determined to build a generation of accomplished individuals who would continue to do great in their chosen fields and urged them to remain worthy ambassadors of the Foundation and state at large.
Kelvin Ikeoha, one of the first-class graduates of the Foundation while speaking on behalf of other beneficiaries, thanked their benefactor for giving them a future through the Foundation and pledged to also give back to society.
