By Olu Samuel, Lokoja

The Ebira education trust fund has rescued the hope of a medical student hopeful, Alaba David with a fully funded scholarship to study Medicine and Surgery at the Federal University, Lokoja.

The initial sum of Four hundred Thousand Naira(400,000) was presented to Alaba David on Thursday in Lokoja the trust under the leadership of the Chairman,Board of Trustee,Ebira Education Trust Fund Professor Muhammed Audu to start his registration.

Alaba was said to have written JAMB last year,scored 320 and 360 in Post Utme and offered admission to study Medicine and surgery in Federal University, Lokoja but could not raise the N20,000 acceptance fee.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Prof,Audu said the scholarship award though a departure from it’s objective of assisting students at the post graduate level,was given to the beneficiary due to his exceptional performance having a score 320 twice in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Examination and Post Utme which made him qualified for automatic admission to study Medicine at the Federal University, Lokoja.

Professor Audu said that the presentation is an outcome of ‘Save my Soul’ message received from an individual who was offered admission to study Medicine and Surgery but could not take up the offer due to financial constraint, necessitated by the pathetic conditions of his parents.

He pointed out that the Board of Trustees through its Selection Committee investigated the matter thoroughly culminating in the award being presented.

“The underlying rationale and beauty of the scheme is actually intended to speak to a bourgeoning crop of quality intellectuals of diverse disciplines to emerge from among our youths in the next few years courtesy of the Trust Fund.

“The core mandate of the Trust Fund does not qualify the youths to run it by themselves, which is why the BoT was carefully constituted by the same youths from across the five Local Government Councils of Kogi Central Senatorial District at an enlarged EYC Congress held at Okene.” He added

Tracing the history of the Trust,he noted that “Ebira Youth Congress (EYC) conceptualized and launched Ebira Education Trust Fund for Kogi Central youths as a potent avenue by which frontiers of knowledge could be further widened.

A maiden Ebira Education Summit was later held at Lokoja in December 2020 to officially unveil and launch Ebira Education Trust Fund whose membership cuts across diverse intellectuals and philanthropists of Kogi Central Extraction, here present today”, he stressed