UNILAG Alumni Award Scholarships To 28 Indigent Abuja Students

University of Lagos Alumni Association, FCT Branch, has awarded scholarships to 28 indigent students drawn from the six area councils of Abuja to support their access to education and ease the financial burden on their families.

The scholarship package covers key examination costs, including NECO and other related fees, to ensure that financial constraints do not hinder the students’ academic progression.

It cut across four students, each from Government Secondary School, Ushafa; four students from Government Secondary School, Tupetchi; four students from Government Science and Technical College, Abuja; four students from Government Secondary School, Gwagwalada; four students from Government Secondary School, Kuje (students with special needs) and four students from Government Secondary School, Yangoji.

The vice chairperson of the association, Mrs Julia Davis, who spoke on behalf of the chairman, Dr Emmanuel Ibe, in Abuja yesterday, said the beneficiaries were selected through a rigorous process.

According to her, the students were screened based on academic excellence and overall performance, with consistent top rankings in their respective classes forming a key criterion.

She added that the finalists also underwent interviews before the final selection was made.

“Today is an auspicious occasion for us, the Alumni Association, the FCT branch, in the sense that we are gathered here together at the Government Secondary School, FCT Abuja, to give scholarships to indigent students from the six area councils in Abuja.

“And a total of 28 students were gotten. It went through a rigorous process before we were able to come up with these 28 students that we were awarding this scholarship today,” she said.

Davis said the initiative was an annual intervention by the alumni body, driven by its commitment to giving back to society and ensuring that no child is forced to abandon education due to lack of funds.

She revealed plans to expand the scholarship scheme, with a long-term vision of supporting beneficiaries into tertiary education, particularly at the University of Lagos, encouraging students to strive for academic excellence, and noting that admission into the institution is strictly merit-based.

For her part, the director and secretary of the FCT Secondary Education Board, Hajiya Fatima Gambo Babba, said interventions such as the scholarship motivate students to remain focused on their studies.

She noted that similar initiatives, including scholarships from the Office of the First Lady, have helped many students, particularly girls, to remain in school and complete their education.

Babba pointed out that some students struggle to pay basic school charges in FCT public schools, noting that the scholarship would significantly ease the burden on parents and guardians.