By Daniel Tyokua
The Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Mr.Kasim Mohammed, has launched the council’s scholarship scheme with the presentation of admission letters to 50 beneficiaries.
Mohammed said the initiative was part of his administration’s commitment to investing in education and creating opportunities for young people across the council.
In a statement issued on Thursday by Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Muhammad Hassan, said the scheme was designed to make quality education accessible to students facing financial constraints.
He disclosed that his initial plan was to sponsor beneficiaries to study abroad but said the prevailing economic realities, financial obligations of the council and the depreciation of the naira made the option unsustainable.
According to him, the council instead decided to identify a university within Abuja capable of providing education comparable to international standards.
“Rather than allow financial limitations to stop the initiative, we decided to start somewhere,” he said.
Mohammed said the council conducted investigations, consulted relevant stakeholders and assessed available universities before selecting the institution for the scholarship programme.
He urged the beneficiaries to treat the scholarship as a responsibility and justify the confidence reposed in them through academic excellence and discipline.
The chairman said the initial number of beneficiaries was deliberately limited to enable the council to effectively monitor the programme and provide the necessary support.
He expressed optimism that the scheme would expand in subsequent years to accommodate 100, 200 or more students, depending on available resources and the performance of the beneficiaries.
Mohammed also disclosed that the council was considering additional beneficiaries and exploring the possibility of extending the scheme to postgraduate students pursuing master’s and PhD programmes.
He assured the students that the scholarship would not end with the presentation of admission letters, saying the council would maintain communication with them throughout their academic journey.
He urged parents to support and monitor their children, noting that while the scholarship would cover agreed educational components, beneficiaries would still be responsible for some personal needs and study materials.
The chairman encouraged the students to make effective use of the university’s facilities, particularly its library and e-library resources.
He stressed that keeping the beneficiaries within Abuja should not be seen as a compromise on quality, saying the council had carefully assessed the institution before selecting it.
Mohammed described the scholarship scheme as an investment in the future of Gwagwalada, expressing hope that the beneficiaries would graduate as competent professionals who would contribute to the development of their communities and the country.
He congratulated the beneficiaries and prayed for their success throughout their academic journey.
