In a bid to advance the girl child education and sustain its Annual Scholarship Programme, Indigenous Oil Company, Belemaoil Producing Limited has sent ten Rivers State indigenes to the United Kingdom and Ghana for post-graduate and undergraduate studies under the NNPC/Belemaoil JV 2018/2019 Foreign Scholarship Scheme.
The beneficiaries who are all female hails from Khana, Abua/Odual, Ahoada-East, Etche, Oyigbo,Ikwerre, Degema, Asari-Toru, Ogu/Bolo and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government areas of the State.
Eight of the beneficiaries, Kainde Chinenye Akaya, Precious Ogochukwu Ajim, Pearl Befee Ezekiel, Fame Obiageri Onyechere, Benebo Daviesba Josephine, Christiana Victor, Obunezi Onyinyechi Favour and Rejoice Nathaniel secured admission to the United Kingdom under the post-graduate category while two other beneficiaries Gloria Iyama Apikisierobia and Francisca Ibiso Francis were sent to Ghana under the undergraduate category.
The beneficiaries are to study courses which include International Relations, International Marketing Strategies, Human Resources, Accounting and Finance, Human Resource Management, Business Finance and International Management both in the UK and Ghana.
The Manager, External Relations, Belemaoil Producing Limited, Barr. Samuel Abel-Jumbo during a farewell and on-boarding session with the beneficiaries in Port-Harcourt said the scholarship is in fulfilment of the company’s promise and commitment towards the advancement of education within its operational base in Rivers State, Niger Delta and beyond.
He urged the girls to excel in their studies and be responsible ambassadors of Nigeria, Rivers State and NNPC/Belemaoil JV, adding that the ten beneficiaries are the first batch of the NNPC/Belemaoil JV 2018/2019 Scholarship as the scheme will continue in 2019.
”This is the first batch. Others will join as we make progress and hopefully in 2019 we will also continue. Our coming here this evening is to ensure that we bid them farewell, we hold an onboarding session and wish them well. We expect that they go out there as responsible ambassadors of Rivers State, of Nigeria and Belemaoil and indeed NNPC too. We expect that they complete their studies within record time and come back with flying colours and be useful and valuable to their country.
This batch is predominantly girls. We believe that the girl-child should be given the opportunity to excel. These were the crop of students among those of them that partook in the screening process that were able to come tops. And we believe that if we are able to impact positive.
“So we are very happy for this opportunity and as you can see they are also happy for the opportunity being given to them by Belemaoil in Joint Venture partnership with NNPC,” he said.
Also, the Executive Assistant to the Founder/President of Belemaoil and Head, Petroleum Engineering and Development, Mr. Sam Dambani charged the beneficiaries to take their studies serious in order to have a better future.
Some of the beneficiaries, who spoke to newsmen moments before their departure commended the management of Belemaoil for given them a lifetime opportunity to advance their academic pursuit. They promised to make the most of the opportunity and return back to add value to the society.
Earlier, the Director, Production and Engineering, Belemaoil Producing Ltd., Engr Mufaa Welsh, who addressed the beneficiaries said their performance will be a test case for the sustainability of the oversea scholarship for others.
“The courage for us to send the next people will be based on your performance. So, if you don’t perform there will be no need for us to send the next set. You are going to meet a lot of people from all over the world, you will meet new friends but remember where you are coming from. You are a pace-setter for your family so you need to make your parents proud, you have to make the country proud, you have to make Belemaoil Producing Ltd and you have to make our senior partners, NNPC proud,” he said.
On her part, representative of the Nigeria NNPC/NAPIMS, Mrs. Tolu Adefuwa, charged them to be self-confident and be dedicated to their studies in order to come out with good grades.