By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo
Education is the bedrock of societal growth. It is also a panacea for self-development, vision actualization, and career optimization.
The above is the case for Inimfon Edem, a native of Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, who recently bagged first-class honours from the Department of Chemical and Petrochemical Engineering, Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU).
According to Inimfon, a Corps member currently serving in Lagos State, obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering was his goal when he graduated from secondary school, but graduating with first-class honours was the icing on the cake.
Inimfon, 23 years old, took to his Twitter account (@god_edem) to pen a glowing tribute to the benefactor of the scholarship scheme as thus, “I would be an ingrate if I do not thank @SenatorOBA who invested in me by paying my tuition fees while I was studying at the university. I pray the Lord will continue to bless you, show you mercy, grant you favour, and protect you and everyone you love. I hope I’ve made you proud”, Inimfom Tweeted.
Responding to Inimfon’s tweet, Senator Bassey Albert said he was proud of the AKSU graduate and other beneficiaries who graduated top of their class. He tasked other beneficiaries to borrow a leaf from Inimfon.
In a recent interview on Planet 101.1 FM, Uyo, Senator Albert said about N170m has so far been spent on the scheme in the past six years. According to him, the programme is a social contract he entered with youth of Akwa Ibom, hence the reason he is giving the scheme prior attention.
In May 2016, Inimfon applied and sat for the qualifying examination of the Senator OBA Scholarship Scheme, where he got selected as one of the first set of beneficiaries for the programme, with effect from the 2016/2017 academic session.
A total of 481 Akwa Ibom youth are under the scholarship scheme of the Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East, Obong Bassey Albert. The beneficiaries have their tuition fees paid in full, while an additional stipend of 10,000 is also allocated to them per semester as a relief.
Inimfon’s father, Mr. Edem Akpan, a retired staff of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), in a recent chat with the management of the scholarship scheme, expressed delight that it brought a significant leap to his family. He lauded the Senator for investing in the younger generation, which he described as the future.
An appraisal reveals that ten (10) beneficiaries have bagged first-class honours in different fields of engineering, including Wisdom Ibokette and Ememobong Akpanekpo, graduates from the University of Uyo. The duo also bagged first-class honours in Civil and Computer Engineering, respectively, three years ago.
