Nation
Group Empowers Women, Students With N.8m Start-Up Capital, Scholarships
A socio-cultural group, Omalicha Umuada Igbo, yesterday in Abuja, empowered no fewer than 11 women with N500,000 start-up capital.
Fourteen primary and secondary students also received scholarship from the group.
The President, Omalicha Umuada Igbo, FCT Branch, Dr Lilian Ogugua, said that the group empowered the women in various skills, businesses and financial grants to make them self-dependent.
Ogugua also, said, that the empowerment came as a result of the outcry of women in the city who had been suffering due to hard times.
“We are empowering them today through a rigorous process of selection and we have educated them to understand why we are empowering them.
“We are giving out cash worth N500,000 whereby each of the women will receive N50,000 from money donated by members of the group and support from affiliate organisation from USA.
“This will serve as start–up capital for them to engage in businesses that will lift them out of poverty. We are also giving out scholarships to 14 primary and secondary students.
“The total amount is N836,000 being given out to assist the women in businesses and students for scholarship,’’ Ogugua said.
The Chairman of the Planning Committee, Mrs Prudentia Igbokwe, said that hard work and diligence were basis for selecting the beneficiaries.
According to Igbokwe, the selection bid followed students who performed well in their various academic endeavours.
“From the spelling bid conducted in Junior Secondary School, Kabusa and JIP Heritage Academy, Jikwoyi, the students were selected based on their outstanding performances,’’ she said.
Igbokwe pointed out that the group would monitor the activities of the beneficiaries to ensure that the money was judiciously used.
On behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs Blessing Emeronye, expressed delight over the gesture and urged more people in the society to render such assistance to the less privileged.
According to Emeronye, if more people can render such help, it will go a long way to eradicate poverty in the country.
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Dr. Nwagor gave the commendation on Tuesday during a monitoring tour of selected secondary schools in Port Harcourt and environs where the WAEC exam is ongoing.
The commissioner, who was accompanied by directors and monitors from the Ministry of Education, said he was impressed with the peaceful atmosphere at the centres visited.
“The students conducted themselves properly and wrote their papers under conducive conditions. Invigilators and supervisors also performed their duties professionally,” he stated.
Nwagor noted that the Rivers State Government had invested heavily to ensure the smooth and credible conduct of the examination across the state
He urged candidates to reciprocate government’s effort by shunning all forms of examination malpractice and focusing on their studies.
“Government has done so much to ensure successful examinations in our schools. Students should take advantage of it by remaining focused,” the commissioner said.
While no case of malpractice was recorded in the centres inspected, Dr. Nwagor warned that any principal, teacher, invigilator, or official caught aiding malpractice would face strict sanctions in line with regulations.
He also commended school administrators, teachers, WAEC officials, and security personnel for upholding the integrity of the process.
Centres visited included County Grammar School, Ikwerre/Etche; Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borokiri; Government Secondary School, Borokiri; and Pabod Model Secondary School.