by Christiàna Gokyo, Jos
About 200 students from all of Plateau’s 17 Local Government Areas, who got scholarship scheme to further their education in India, have been bade farewell by Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang.
The governor cautioned the students, saying, “Be of good behaviour, trusting that through you, God will produce the brilliant minds he has already created – creators and innovators on whom the future of not just Plateau State, but Nigeria, will depend.”
While speaking on Tuesday at the National Youth Centre, Shere Hills, Jos North Local Government Area, during the symbolic presentation of passports and airfare tickets to the benefiting students, Governor Mutfwang urged them to resist any temptation that may confront them but to prioritize academic excellence.
According to the governor, “The confirmation and the selection process was done, based on merit.”
The 200 students’ beneficiaries of the Governor Mutfwang’s (educational) legacy scheme cut across the 17 local government areas of the state, who emerged through a rigorous screening exercise and orientation.
The students are expected to pursue their education on various courses, which include Medical Sciences, Engineering as well as Information Communications Technology (ICT), in Sanskaran University, New Delhi, India.
The initiative is the testament of Governor Mutfwang’s unwavering determination and commitment towards enhancing human capital development in Plateau and Nigeria.
He expressed concern over some brilliant candidates that were turned back because they failed drug tests, noting thus: “Brilliant but already spoiled.”
“Let me state clearly, from the onset, to disabuse the minds of anyone who may think otherwise, that this process was not manipulated or influenced in any way,” he stated.
He stressed that, “I have thoroughly investigated the entire process, and I want you to know that everyone included in this scholarship scheme was selected strictly on the basis of merit.”
Governor Mutfwang further explained that, “Every beneficiary has a solid foundation of hard work and excellence. If you did not have the required grades in WAEC, nobody would even have discussed your name.
“The university sent its own delegates to oversee and take charge of the selection process. Being a pilot project, we deliberately ensured that it was not hijacked by ‘quota considerations.’ We did not allocate slots to politicians,” he noted.
The governor applauded the parents and guardians for their success, perseverance, and sacrifices in raising their wards.
Also, Commissioner Ministry of Education, Dr. Kachollom Gang, acknowledged that the gesture was the first of its kind in the history of Plateau, urging the students to be guided by the laws of the country they were embarking their academic pursuit.