FUTO promises scholarships to matriculating undergraduates

The Federal University of Technology, Owerri, has promised to award scholarships to some 4,300 matriculating undergraduate students should any of them make excellent results while studying in the institution.

Chigozie Asiabaka, vice chancellor of the university, said the move is in keeping with the institution’s vision “to promote and sustain excellence in the university affair.”

Asiabaka said the scholarship scheme in favour of the best graduating student in each school (or department) becomes effective from the current 2012/2013 academic year, being the institution’s 31st matriculation.

According to the VC, under the novel scheme, the best student with the highest Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) from each school would be given a scholarship that would enable him/her to undertake his/her training in the school at no cost in terms of tuition and hostel fees for the next academic year; as long as the beneficiary maintained his/her position as the student with the highest CGPA within the academic year of the award.

He also said while the university management does its best to improve the learning environment, welfare and comfort of all staff and students, the university authority would not accommodate or tolerate acts that could jeopardise or work to compromise the university’s vision for excellence.

While reminding the new matriculating students to imbibe hard work, he said FUTO was conceived and introduced as a specialised university to champion technological transformation and educational emancipation of the nation’s citizenry; and not an addition to the number of universities in Nigeria, nor for political expediency.

As a consequence, he said students and graduates of FUTO and its three other technological counterparts in Minna (Niger State), Akure (Ondo State) and Makurdi (in Benue State) “are expected to be different in orientation, training, discipline, scholarship and character; to be able to respond appropriately to the vision and purpose for which they were established in the 1980s.”

He advised the 4,300 matriculates of diligence, commitment and innovation as essential attributes that must characterise the life of staff and students of these specialised technological universities.

BEN EGUZOZIE & VICTORIA NNAKAIKE, Owerri