Beneficiaries of Bayelsa State overseas scholarship programme have returned to the state to begin the process of contributing their quota to the development of the state.
The 25 youths who returned last week from Malaysia are the second batch of 58 beneficiaries to return home so far after their studies abroad, Foster Ogola, chairman, Bayelsa State Scholarship Board told correspondents earlier.
Ogola disclosed that 33 others had returned to the state in November last year as the state government begins to harvest the fruits of her human capacity and empowerment development programme.
Salo Adikumo, Bayelsa state commissioner for Education, who received the graduates on behalf of the state government assured that government would continue to invest in education in order to make the youth competitive in the labour market.
Adikumo explained that the 25 students from Lintel University, Malaysia who have completed their programmes were among 94 students who were sent to Asia by the previous administration.
While commending the students for their determination to complete their programmes, he disclosed that six of the students were rusticated by the university authorities as a result of poor academic work.
Also speaking at the occasion, the chairman of the state scholarship board, Ogola said the objective of the scholarship was to strategically build up the state manpower and create global competitiveness in the market.
He used the occasion to state that the Governor Seriake Dickson administration inherited two years scholarship arrears from the previous government but arrangements have been concluded to begin payment in May this year.
One of the returnees, Israel Adirimo Edubamou, 25, lauded the state government for empowering the youth through the scholarship scheme to acquire modern education.
Edubamou, an indigene of Twon-Brass who studied Mechanical Engineering urged fellow Bayelsans to make use of the opportunities offered them by the state to study aboard.
SAMUEL ESE, Yenagoa
