With worsening inflation coupled with high school fees imposed especially by some management of tertiary institutions in Nigeria, scholarship programs sponsored by individuals, non-governmental organizations and companies have become means by which less privileged students can see themselves through their studies.
One such scholarship programme is the one being sponsored annually by the Nigeria National Petroleum Company, NNPC E & P Limited for beneficiaries from its host communities in Delta and Edo States.
Over two hundred undergraduates at the weekend sat for the scholarship examination which was held at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun.
After a thorough screening, the benefitting candidates, two hundred and forty-two in number, made their way to the twin hall of FUPRE to decide their fate.
They answered questions in Mathematics, English Language, and General knowledge.
After two grueling hours, the candidates emerged from the hall, most of them with smiles on their faces knowing they would be added to the over ten thousand beneficiaries of the scholarship program.
Some of them laudable the oil firm for the scholarship program which would enable them to complete their program of studies in their various tertiary institutions with lesser burden on their parents and guardians.
The Lead Strategy and Planning, Community Relations, NNPC E & P Limited, Chinedu Emelife, spoke on the criteria for the selection of candidates, the number of host communities, the beneficiaries recorded over the years, and what the company intends to achieve from the scholarship programme.
The facilitator of the scholarship examination, Mrs. Prekeyi Tawari-Fufeyin, a professor of Environmental Control and Toxicology at FUPRE, advised the beneficiaries to make proper use of the scholarship by doing well in their studies.
Tawari-Fufeyin also urged the sponsoring company to find an alternative way to reach out to the host communities as eligible FUPRE students were not aware of the scholarship programme.
The 2023 NNPC E&P Limited scholarship examination was also written simultaneously in Port Harcourt and Egbema in Rivers and Imo states respectively.
