As part of deliberate efforts towards human capital development of youths in Edo State, Cowrie 25, a Pan-Benin Professional Club, has rolled out scholarship scheme for about 150 secondary and tertiary students in the state. Cowrie 25 is a group of Edo professionals based in Lagos State.
Anthony Ogunbor, chairman, education committee of the group, disclosed this in Benin during the presentation of scholarship award to 28 students selected from various public secondary schools.
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Ogunbor said the scholarship was born out of the desire of the association to build and develop the human capital of youths particularly students in the state.
The scholarship award, he said, was geared towards motivating and encouraging students that there was no alternative to good education.
He added that the gesture was also intended to inspire the beneficiaries to be more focused and successful in life.
According to him, Cowrie 25 started over 25 years ago and the group was formed to promote the interest of the state.
“This scholarship programme costs a lot of money. For the love we have for this state we forgo other areas that required money and put it here.
“There is no alternative to good education. That is why we are interested in supporting the education of our children for them to be more successful than some of us.
“Among us, we have medical doctors, engineers, businessmen, and others. Except we spur them up with this kind of encouraging empowerment some of them will lose focus.
“That is why we felt that supporting them financially can give them that incentives to motivate them towards higher achievement.
“We started this programme in a couple of years ago but the Covid-19 disrupted it, which now makes us to go back to the drawing board to redesign what we want to do and the programme we are now implementing at the end of the day we affects about 150 students,” he said.
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While noting that funding would not be a challenge to the implementation of the programme, he added that the money was already in the bank, and that it was the yield from the investment that the body was using to finance the programme.
Ogunbor, who advised the beneficiaries to be focused in their academic activities, noted that the body will be proud if they improve more on their performance.
In his remarks, Osa Owie Adolor, Secretary, education committee, said structures had already been put in place to ensure sustainability of the scholarship.
Adolor said the scholarship was for 2022/2023 academic session, and added that the body would monitor the academic performance of the beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries, the secretary , said would continue to enjoy the scholarship, even to university level, only if they improve on their academic performance.
“The beneficiaries were selected from their various classes and they topped those classes and if they successfully go through and get to SS3, we are there to support them.
“If you are hardworking enough from the secondary school you will take advantage of the university scholarship you will also have a place.
“We will be proud and glad that you were our student in the secondary school and you also qualified for scholarship for university when you get there”, he stated.
In her goodwill, Joan Oviawe, the Edo State Commissioner for Education, described the club as dependable partners who have consistently supported education in the State.
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Oviawe assured that the contribution of the club will not be taken for granted.
She pledged the commitment of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration in building a system that will continue to deliver quality education to the children of the state in order to justify the Club’s investment in the students.
