Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has reiterated the commitment of his administration to give opportunities to Abia indigenes both at home and in the Diaspora to invest in the state.
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The governor made the promise at the weekend, while hosting a delegation of Abia State Indigenes in United Kingdom, led by its president, Uche Kay, who visited him at his Umuobiakwa country home, in Obingwa Local Government Area of the state.
Ikpeazu commended Abia indigenes in the Diaspora for thinking home and deciding to support his education development through their planned provision of scholarship for Abia children.
He promised that his government would do everything necessary to encourage them, assuring that he would provide the necessary ambience that would make them achieve the establishment of their proposed school in the state.
His administration intends to replicate the Diaspora communities in various countries of the world and draw developments from there, he said.
The governor appreciated the delegation, saying their programme would reduce his burden on educational development of Abia children, especially the less privileged.
Uche Kay explained earlier that Abians residing in the United Kingdom were motivated by the governor’s educational development policy and decided to come home to assist in the education of Abia children.
He disclosed that they had concluded plans to provide scholarship to five children in each of the 17 LGAs, totalling 85 persons. The plan, according to Kay, is to make the scholarship an annual one, revealing that the target is to give 500 Abia children scholarship between now and 2023.
He explained that the scholarship scheme, which is for students from JSS 1 to SS3, would cater for their uniforms, books, school fees, Junior and Senior WAEC and every other fee they have to pay during the period.
He added that the team has equally signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the European Union to have a placement programme, where final year students of universities in the State, would be taken to UK for a two-month work experience, informing that the Diaspora team, would take care of Visa, accommodation and feeding of the students.
