Reps want presidential scholarships stopped

The House of Representatives
Committee on Education on
Thursday asked the Federal
Government to stop the 2015/2016
Presidential Special Scholarship for
Innovation and Development on
the grounds that the scheme was
designed to favour some sections
of the country to the exclusion of
others.
The committee, which is chaired by
a lawmaker from Kano State, Mr.
Aminu Sulaiman, met with the
Chairman of the Implementation
Committee, Prof. Julius Okojie, in
Abuja on Thursday.
Lawmakers engaged Okojie, who
doubles as the Executive Secretary
of the National Universities
Commission, in a heated debate
over the matter.
Thursday’s directive of the
committee was the second since
last year when it started
investigating the criteria for the
award of the scholarships.
For example, Suleiman claimed that
northerners were sidelined in the
awards, leading to what he called
“education imbalance and
monumental abuse.”
But, Okojie replied that no
considerations other than “merit,”
qualified the beneficiaries for the
awards.
Okojie added, “Unless we are
saying that the criteria have to
change, I will not advise that the
programme should be scrapped.”
However, he assured the
lawmakers that he would pass their
position to President Goodluck
Jonathan.
The committee observed that out
of the 104 applicants short-listed
for the scholarship this year, none
came from the North-West and the
North-East.
Members also said the North-
Central received only seven slots,
while the Federal Capital Territory
also did not get any.
But, Okojie explained that the
award was meant for first class
graduates, who were under 30
years of age, for further studies in
any of the top 100 universities in
the world.

Eiii, na wa oo