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Mrs Ibim Semenitari

NDDC awards N25m scholarship to five female students

Mrs Ibim Semenitari
Mrs Ibim Semenitari
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has awarded N25million scholarship to five secondary school students to pursue their educational career up to tertiary level.
A statement issued in Port Harcourt on Thursday by Chijioke Amu-Nnadi, the commission’s Head of Corporate Affairs unit, said said the five students from secondary schools in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ondo and Rivers states emerged winners from NDDC-sponsored “Girls in Engineering, Mathematics and Science (GEMS) competition.”
The students who are to benefit N5million each from the fund are: Ayomide Adeyeye, Amarachi Orjiugo, Edidiong Francis Bassey, Blessing Jeremiah James and Grace Bassey.
“Ayomide Adeyeye emerged overall winner at the competition’s grand finale, which featured 33 GEMS finalists who were selected from three regional competitions organised by NDDC,” it stated.
The statement quoted Mrs Ibim Semenitari, Acting Managing Director, NDDC, as saying that the winners emerged from a rigorous elimination process that featured 2,880 girls from the area.
It said the programme was aimed at promoting and encouraging female students who are innovative and research minded to develop passion in disciplines such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
“We believe that science and technology can become exciting in a way that our girls can interpret science in a manner that we can use science to resolve everyday challenges.
“GEMS is positioned to ignite a spark within every girl in the society to do great things for our society; the Niger Delta region, and for our collective future, “ Semenitari stated.
It said that Semenitari called on corporate organisations including oil and gas companies in the region to partner the commission to develop the girl-child in various “GEMS-related careers.”
In the statement, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, the Minister of Science and Technology, said the GEMS programme provided the girl-child with unique opportunity to excel in male-dominated science disciplines.
It said that President Muhammadu Buhari had placed high premium on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) with a view to equipping youths with requisite knowledge and skills to become innovators.
“The ministry has also established a gender desk for women with objectives of mentoring most importantly, the girl-child in primary and secondary schools.
“The Niger Delta region is highly endowed with enormous human capital and natural resources – which makes it very strategic to the socio-economic development of the nation.
“Hence, it is our belief NDDC will partner with the ministry to develop women and girl-child,” the statement quoted the minister as saying.
The statement said that Onu, who was represented by Dr Nnenna Okoronkwo, a Director in the ministry, urged the competition’s winners not to relent in their pursuit for academic excellence.

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