Delta State Government has given out N500 million to 100 beneficiaries of the year 2013 First Class Graduate Scholarship Scheme with Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan challenging parents to ensure proper upbringing of their children.

He said that parents owe it as a duty to ensure that their children and wards are properly brought up in order to achieve a better family unit and better organized society.

Speaking on Monday during the presentation of scholarship awards to the year 2013 beneficiaries of the scheme at Asaba, the governor said that it was impossible for a cultist to bag a first class degree in the university.

“Please let us build a better society by properly bringing up our children at the family level; generally, a child who is properly brought up is an asset to the society. No matter the position you have attained, personal attention to our children is very important and what we call insecurity starts from the home, parents, please we owe it as a duty to the society to take care of our children.”

He explained that the “the principle behind the scholarship scheme is that the IQ of the child who makes first class is very high and the society should not put an impediment to the child who have such IQ to proceed to have a doctoral degree just because the person lacks the fund. This informed our administration’s decision to inaugurate the scholarship scheme.

“You have to be hard working, you have to be disciplined to be able to make a first class degree and to qualify for the scholarship as you know there is no cult member who makes first class because they do not have time to study,” he added.

“Before today we have given our scholarship to one hundred and thirty three graduates and today, we are giving scholarship to one hundred persons, and since each student is entitled to five million naira, we are giving out five hundred million naira today,” the Governor stated.

He appealed to the beneficiaries to be good ambassadors of the State and urged parents to always allow their children to choose what to study, stressing “In these days and age, parents should allow young people to make their choice, we want to advise that parents should not force children to read a particular course. Times have changed, allow the children to make their choices because at the end of the day, they do very well when they follow their passion.”

Dr Uduaghan decried attitude of some Nigerians who do not see anything good from those holding public office, observing that despite the transparent and accountable attitude of members of the Scholarship Board in the State, their actions were still been unduly criticized with members wrongly accused of corruption.

He urged members of the Board not to be deterred in their actions of ensuring that only genuine and qualified persons benefit from the scheme.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Higher Education in the state, Hon. Charles Emetulu whose address was read by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Eric Osharode, said the scholarship programme have given the beneficiaries the opportunity “of getting a masters and Ph.D degrees in reputable universities.”

He disclosed that the Delta State government also have the “Students Special Assistance Scheme (Bursary), Overseas Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme, Financial Assistance to students in the Nigerian Law Schools, Aviation Scholarship Scheme, Scholarship for Children of deceased Civil servants and physically Challenged Students, and local scholarship scheme (under-graduates, masters and Ph.D) to cushion the financial hardship our students undergo while in pursuit of their academic ambition.”

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Miss Oke Diateke lauded the government for sponsoring the programme, observing that it has challenged Deltans in the universities to strive for excellence and first class degrees in particular.

•Photo shows Governor Uduaghan of Delta State (left) and Miss. Ditake Oke, during the 2013 First Class Graduate Scholarship Award Ceremony held in Government House, Asaba.