It was Maimonides who aptly stated, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
Guided by this timeless aphorism and the People’s Charter of Needs, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Bldr. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, Governor of Ebonyi State, has prioritised education as a cornerstone of his administration since its inception.
Upon assuming office, Governor Nwifuru declared a state of emergency in the education sector, emphasizing the need to reposition Ebonyi’s public education system to a standard where his own children and those of his appointees would confidently enroll before the end of his tenure.
This bold declaration underscored his unwavering commitment to rebuilding the sector and restoring public confidence in government-owned institutions.
As a tangible demonstration of this commitment, on January 18, 2025, His Excellency approved and facilitated the deployment of 204 Ebonyi indigenes to prestigious Universities in the United Kingdom and other foreign countries for postgraduate studies.
The beneficiaries were selected through a rigorous and transparent process, ensuring merit and competence.
The scholars were enrolled in highly competitive and globally relevant disciplines such as Medicine, Computer Programming, Software Development, Pharmacy, Data Analysis, Cyber Security and other critical fields.
From inception, the Government’s intention has been to sponsor beneficiaries through Master’s, PhD, and professional Doctoral programmes to build a strong, knowledge-driven workforce for the state.
To date, the 204 scholars in the first batch have successfully completed their Master’s Degrees and are awaiting onboarding into their PhD programmes.
Building on this milestone, on Monday, February 2, 2026, Governor Nwifuru approved the deployment of a second batch of 92 Ebonyi scholars to the United Kingdom for postgraduate studies.
This is in addition to over 700 beneficiaries currently studying in local Universities under the same education intervention.
With this development, the total number of overseas scholars now stands at 296.
An additional four beneficiaries with summer admissions are expected to depart by September 2026, bringing the total number of overseas scholarship beneficiaries to 300.
The scholarship programme comprehensively covers tuition, accommodation, and living allowances, enabling beneficiaries to concentrate fully on their academic pursuits without financial strain.
Upon completion of their studies, scholars are expected to return to Ebonyi State and contribute meaningfully to development across critical sectors.
This landmark initiative is a core component of Governor Nwifuru’s broader strategy to invest in education, strengthen human capital, stimulate economic growth, and position Ebonyi State as an emerging hub for education, innovation, and manpower development fully aligned with the People’s Charter of Needs agenda.
Upon the return of these scholars, Ebonyi State is projected to take a prominent place on the global education and manpower development dashboard.
This intervention stands as a monumental achievement of the People’s Charter of Needs driven administration.
With enhanced human capacity, increased expertise, and renewed global relevance, the state is steadily transforming.
The once-rejected stone is fast becoming the cornerstone.
Forever may it last!
Dr. Boniface Nwankwo is the
Special Assistant to the Governor on Documentation.
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