32 undergraduates benefit from Alex Otti Scholarship

 

BY OUR EDITOR

Thirty-two indigent undergraduates who were successful in their application for the Alex Otti Foundation Scholarship received their cheques Saturday at a special award banquet held in their honour in Umuahia, Abia State capital.

The recipients, selected from 13 different universities across the country, received the sum of N150,000 each, and will continue to enjoy the scholarship throughout the duration of their studies, as long as they maintain the set academic standard which was one of the major yardsticks for their selection.

According to the initiator of the programme, Dr Alex Otti, the scholarship scheme was reorganised and repackaged in 2017 to benefit more indigent but bright students who would need to go through a rigorous and transparent process of assessment to qualify.

To ensure that this was achieved, entry for the 2019/2020 was well publicised in the media (social media inclusive) and notice boards of the various schools from where beneficiaries were selected, according to a statement by Ferdinand Ekeoma, media assistant to Dr Otti.

“The winners who could not hide their joy took turns to explain how they were taken care of, and treated like queens and kings, including being provided with breakfast, lunch and transport money, during the selection process, and explained that they were surprised to emerge as beneficiaries, since they didn’t know anyone in the scholarship foundation,” the statement stated.

Speaking at the event, Otti explained that the essence of the scholarship was to help very bright students from the 17 local government areas of Abia State to succeed.

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But beyond the scholarship scheme, Otti said there were other areas of life where the Alex Otti Foundation was poised to uplifting humanity by rendering assistance to indigent people.

He made it clear that the selection process was rigorous and very transparent which gave room for the “emergence of deserving winners” from amongst the thousands of participants, and insisted that the scholarship was for those who can muster the intellect to face academic challenges and succeed.

“Our standards are pretty high, so the scholarship is not available for lazy people, not available for people who would not do well, and not available for people who would be truants in school,” Otti said emphatically.

He added that the Alex Otti Foundation was seeking to create a new crop of leaders, to offer help to those in need as well as intervening in skills acquisition, agriculture and micro-credits.

He said that the Foundation would be monitoring the performances of beneficiaries of its scholarship scheme and promised that as long as they continued to do well, they would be supported to enjoy the scholarship until graduation.

Speaking, the Executive Director of the Alex Otti Foundation, Mr. Chinedu Ekeke, explained that the values of the Alex Otti Foundation rest on three pillars of Fairness, Opportunity and Community.

Present at the occasion were friends and political associates of Dr. Alex Otti, among whom was Dr. Otti’s former running mate, Dr Mrs. Uche Eme-Uche. There were also representations from the clergy and traditional rulers from the state.

The 2020/2021 edition of the Scholarship, according to the statement, shall kick off later in the year. Participation in the scholarship is free of any charge.