David Mark Gives N900m Scholarship To students
Senate President, David Mark has given out scholarships up to the sum of N900 million to students of tertiary institutions, through his David Mark Scholarship Foundation (DMSF).
Read the full details of the news as reported by National Mirror:
The David Mark Scholarship Foundation (DMSF) has so far, offered scholarship to 12,685 students in tertiary institutions totaling N900 million.
The foundation, which was established in 2005 is Senate President’s pet project.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President, Paul Mumeh, said the figure was disclosed at the weekend in Otukpo, by Mark during a ceremony marking a fresh award of about N100 million scholarships to 1,719 students of Benue State origin in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
The N900 million, according to the statement is besides other categories of awards to orphans, gifted children and other special awards numbering about 1,000. These categories of people enjoy full scholarship from primary school to university level under the foundation.
Distributing the awards to the benefitting students at the premises of the National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, Otukpo Study Centre, at the weekend, Mark said he took education as his pet project because the sector is the only road-map and indeed the bedrock of any development.
According to him, “with good and quality education, most of the societal ills plaguing our nation including armed robbery, kidnapping, terrorism and insurgency would be eliminated.”
The Senate President implored the beneficiaries to justify the awards by exhibiting good conducts and studying hard in order to come out in flying colours adding, “only success in your academic pursuits would justify this scholarship”.
Mark also used the occasion to call for prayers for the release of the abducted students of the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram sect more than a month ago.
He prayed that God would touche the heart of their abductors to release the girls unconditionally.
Earlier, the chairman of the DMSF Board, Professor James Alachi expressed appreciation to the Senate President for sustaining the scheme saying that the programme which was flagged off in 2005 with N5, 000 per student is now N20,000 per beneficiary.
Professor Alachi said that this is outside beneficiaries from the special awards, gifted girl-Child as well as orphans and vulnerable children categories who are on full scholarship from the primary school to tertiary level.
He implored corporate organisations and other well meaning Nigerians to compliment the efforts of government in the task of educating the citizenry.
