Green Energy International and Lekoil and Gas Investment Limited Joint Venture have granted undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships to 611 students from Ugama Ekede and Asukama communities in Andoni Local Government Area, Rivers State.
The scholarships and bursaries, part of the inaugural edition of the initiative, were implemented by the Ugama Ekede, Ayama Ekede, Asukama, and Asukoyet Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) of 2021.
Speaking during the event in Port Harcourt, Nathan Asuk, Chairman of the HCDT Board of Trustees, encouraged beneficiaries to maximize the opportunity while emphasizing that non-performance could lead to the withdrawal of the scholarships.
According to Asuk, “Before the scholarship was awarded, there was some level of screening and their various departments in their various institutions of higher learning submitted their results and Cumulative Grade Point Average, which were the basis we used.”
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He also outlined the mechanisms in place to monitor the beneficiaries’ academic progress, adding, “This scholarship should spur them to greater academic exploits.”
In addition to the scholarships, Asuk revealed that contracts had been awarded to local contractors, with strict oversight to prevent fund misuse. “By the PIA and the HCDT arrangement, contractors are from the respective communities. Under the PIA and the HCDT as we are, the very first watchdog is the community themselves,” he said.
The Chairman of Andoni Local Government Area, Lazarus Nteogwuile, lauded the efforts of Green Energy and Lekoil, urging continued collaboration. He stated, “To Green Energy and Lekoil and Gas Investment Limited Joint Venture, I want to commend you and I want to say keep on doing what you are doing.”
The event also saw the awarding of contracts worth millions of naira for community development projects, including the construction of a concrete embankment, classroom blocks, and school rehabilitation.
Scholarship amounts varied by education level, with postgraduate students receiving ₦270,000 each, undergraduates ₦150,000 each, and bursaries of ₦70,000 distributed to primary and secondary school students across the communities.
