Governor of Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has offered foreign scholarship to three indigenes of the State who were the recipients of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Presidential Honour Award.
He said the State is proud of the selfless and humanitarian service rendered by the three awardees during their NYSC programme.
The governor announced the award of foreign scholarship during a courtesy call on him by the recipients of the presidential honour at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
He said while the Federal Government deserves commendation for offering the awardees automatic employment, the State government has decided to offer them scholarship for Masters and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in any university of their choice anywhere in the world.
Governor Wike stated that once the awardees present their letter of admission to the Secretary to the State Government, their tuition will be paid in full to prevent them being abandoned by the next administration.
“I will suggest you further your education, go overseas and do your Masters. I am not saying that job is not good, but education is better.”
On the contrary, the governor said if they want employment, then the State government will offer them automatic employment in the State civil service.
The governor said his administration will not relent in promoting human capital development in all sphere of human endeavour in the State.
He declared that the State government has approved funds to the Ministry of Education to pay the tuition of Rivers State indigenes studying medical sciences at the PAMO University.
“In the next few years, Rivers State will not lack doctors. Every year we sponsor not less than 100 Rivers indigenes to read medicine and other related courses like pharmacy, medical laboratory. Now, that we have Rivers State University and we have a Medical College, in the next ten years, Rivers State will be exporting doctors.”
Rivers State NYSC Coordinator, Chief Chinwendu Chukwu, said the awardees who served in Jigawa, Yobe and Bayelsa States respectively, distinguished themselves by rendering selfless humanitarian service during their national service programme.
Speaking on behalf of the awardees, Gilbert Kiaka Goodnews, explained that during his national service, he was able to offer free ICT training to over 200 students in Bayelsa State.
He said another recipient of the presidential honour, Miss Worlu Aruchi Rachael, a lawyer, offered free legal services to 22 inmates and secured their release from jail in Yobe State.
Goodnews further explained that the third recipient, Jasper Deebari Uchenna during his national service discovered that most streets in the Jigawa State were not named and decided to name them.
