• Super Admin
• 08 Mar, 2026

There was excitement at Cana House in Awka, Anambra State capital, recently when the 326 recipients of the Senator Victor Umeh Scholarship Awards started getting credit alerts for their school fees and other sundry expenses. The recipients sat side by side in the hall with their relatives - parents, guardians - who also did not hide their joy. Beneficiaries of the scholarship package were largely students of Anambra origin who are in various tertiary institutions across the country. There were also a few other beneficiaries who hail from other states including Enugu and Imo. The scholarship package, which totalled N64 million, was awarded to the recipients by the senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Chief Victor Umeh. Umeh, who recently joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC) alongside the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, said that the scholarship award was in fulfilment of his promise to invest in the future of the young people in the senatorial zone by funding their education at the tertiary level. He disclosed that before starting the scholarship programme for his constituents, he had been awarding scholarships to students who are unable to pay their fees through his education foundation. "It's been ongoing. For the Anambra Central, I set up this scheme in 2018 when I first went to the senate", he explained. "At that time, we gave scholarships to 76 students drawn from the seven local government areas in Anambra Central Senatorial District, 10 per local government; then six additional people based on special needs, 76 of them. "All of them went through their studies in the universities. Even when I wasn't in the senate, I absorbed them in my education foundation and by 2023, all of them have graduated; some with First Class, some in medicine, some in architecture, accountancy; all the professions were covered. "And when I came back to the senate in 2023, I had to continue from where I stopped. I took the first set of students - 223 - drawn across the seven LGAs in Anambra Senatorial District. "And all of them were selected based on the special needs of the students. I don't like calling them indigent students; I call them less privileged, people who did not have parents or people who can pay their fees. "We carefully selected them through the town unions. All the towns in Anambra Central Senatorial District had representatives; two from each community. We have 58 towns. We had 116 so that every community will have two persons. And from other stakeholders we raised them to 223. "Then, in this current academic year, I increased it to 326 because people continued to surge, to seek help. And from that place we were able to take from the stakeholders again, first of all, from across the communities again, then from the stakeholders. And we got them to 326. All of them received their school fees today to the glory of God", Umeh said. The lawmaker said that he was happy that many of his beneficiaries over the years have graduated and that some of them had visited to express their gratitude and joy. "This is what I do because I believe that the best way to help young people is to give them education. It is not by dashing them money or using them for political thuggery. "I have never indulged in political thuggery all my political life. I've shunned it greatly, even during elections when people who work with me tell me that other people are hiring thugs and the rest of them, I tell them that I don't have money for that. "What I am doing is to get these children, give them education, start them well in life. I am happy that so far, so many people have graduated. They have become doctors, engineers, surveyors, all manner of professions. They have been groomed by us. "So, among these 326 students, many are pursuing degrees in medicine, accountancy, law and others because we make sure that we sponsor people whose education will support them when they graduate. "They are carefully screened and selected. So, we are happy that today they have been put back to school. Anybody that is going back to school now will be smiling. "And the way we do it is that every session like this, Fidelity Bank will come here with their laptop and send these monies to the various students' accounts. And today you're here and the students received the money instantly; alerts everywhere. "So, that is what we do to ensure that people receive their money. There is accountability and transparency in the process", he stated. The senator encouraged the beneficiaries to make the best of the opportunity, reminding them that such opportunities are rare. "Let them excel like others that have excelled. They are lucky. Most of the students that I have trained over the years, my foundation is formally 19 years old today. And every year we have the best graduates from the various institutions of higher learning. "So, I want to ask those who have benefited to take their studies seriously because for them to have been selected through their town unions, I believe that the students they brought were students that are brilliant but have nobody to train them. "So now that they have gotten the opportunity, my charge is that they should make the most use of it by coming out tops in their final degree exams. So from there they will face life." Umeh said that beyond offering scholarships, he also makes efforts to secure jobs for those whose education he sponsored through the Federal Government's agencies and the private sector. "We are doing everything to keep our young people busy and very well engaged. So that is my passion and I am happy that today's own has gone on successfully," he said. Secretary of the Sir Victor Umeh Education Foundation (VUMEF), Emeka Anetoh, traced the politician's philanthropy to 1999, saying that beneficiaries of the foundation's scholarships grew from two persons from that period to 326 people in 2026. "That time, students who didn't have anyone to pay their school fees usually came to him requesting assistance. That time, there were usually many people in his house who came with various financial needs. "So, one day during our meeting with him, he suggested that it would be good to make our committee a serious programme such that people could be assisted through it. He wanted it to be formalised. "It was done. And when we started, anyone that came with any problem was documented and presented to him. From there, many students were given their school fees. That's how Sir Victor Umeh Education Foundation was born. "It was later that this one he does for Anambra Central Senatorial Zone also came up. So, from two persons to 10 persons to 326 people; and over the years, we have trained teachers, Reverend Fathers, lawyers, doctors, pharmacists, and others. "So, from 1.something million naira in 1999 to N64 million today. From 10 persons to 326 people today, is it easy?" he stated. The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 General Elections and former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, in his remarks, commended Umeh for thinking it necessary to invest in the future of the youth, saying that it was a wise decision. Obi, who described the senator's scholarship package as "phenomenal", urged the young people to make the best of the opportunity which the lawmaker has offered them. "Education is the most important thing you need in your life. The more educated a country is, the more developed. Nigeria is not developed today because of lack of education. "Some of you will say 'oh some people went to school but they didn't find jobs'. That is not true. The reason why they did not find jobs is because it is a country that is not productive. If the country is productive, those who're educated will use their energy, their talents to change the scene. "And it is the same thing that he's doing today; it's a rare opportunity. And I thank you senator most sincerely. There is nothing you can gain in life other than what you're doing today. Nothing again. Anything you see people acquiring - the house, the property, this and that are all vanity. "The only thing that makes meaning in the life of any human being is what you use your resources to do. It is the lives we change that make society and for you it is critical. "Education changes your life. And I thank my brother for what he is doing here. It is amazing", he concluded. One of the beneficiaries of the scholarship awards, Chinecherem Okafor, who graduated last year from the Department of Civil Engineering, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, thanked Umeh for paying her school fees. "I am so grateful. I thank you so much, senator. And also for my fellow beneficiaries, I advise you to stay focused and also study your books so that you'll graduate also in flying colours." Mrs Ebele Nnajidemma, whose daughter benefited from the scholarship programme, expressed her gratitude to the senator, saying that Umeh took her financial burden away when she needed the support most. "Paying school fees is not an easy thing. When my daughter graduated from UNIZIK with First Class, Mr. Peter Obi gave her N1 million. "We thought that she would be given a job as a First Class graduate but that did not happen because we didn't know anybody in the system. She nearly lost hope but I encouraged her to stay strong. I assured her that God would make a way for her. "Later on she proceeded to Millennium College of Nursing Sciences, Awka. School fees there are very high. I am not sure if I finished the first session before Ohamadike took over. Source: https://thesun.ng/joy-as-senator-umeh-rains-scholarships-on-anambra-students/