Ten thousand students in Ebonyi State will sit the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination this year without paying a kobo of their own money, after the South East Renewed Hope Agenda (SERHA) covered the registration fees of every one of them.
The group disbursed a total of N85 million in Abakaliki, the state capital, on Tuesday, handing each beneficiary N8,500 to cover the cost of JAMB registration. Students from all 13 local government areas and 171 wards across Ebonyi State were represented at the event.
The State Coordinator of SERHA, James Eze Alaka, said the scheme was conceived to ensure that financial constraints did not stand between any qualified student and a university education, describing it as “an investment in the future of the South East and Nigeria at large.”
National Coordinator Belusochukwu Enwere told the gathering that the significance of the gesture extended well beyond the payment of examination fees. “Today is not just about registration for an examination. It is about unlocking doors of opportunity. It is about investing in the future and empowering a generation that will shape the destiny of our state and nation,” he said.
Enwere urged the beneficiaries to honour the investment made on their behalf. “To our dear students, this is your stepping stone to greater heights. Prepare with focus and discipline. The future belongs to those who prepare for it today,” he said.
SERHA described the initiative as consistent with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which the group said prioritises human capital development and expanded access to tertiary education across the South East geopolitical zone. The group also praised Ebonyi State Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru for complementing federal efforts through education focused policies, including the sponsorship of over 1,000 postgraduate students at home and abroad.
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