There was jubilation at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Ughorgua, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, as Amos Ishaku, one of the camp’s inmates, received a fully-funded PhD scholarship from the University of Illinois, Chicago, USA.
Ishaku, who graduated with First Class Honours in Chemical Engineering from Edo State University, Uzairue, in November 2023, has been a beacon of hope for the camp’s residents.
Pastor Solomon Folorunsho, the coordinator of Home of the Needy, which manages the IDP camp, expressed his delight, stating that this achievement highlights the importance of creating an enabling environment for the less privileged.
The camp currently houses over 4,000 children, most of whom were displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in the north-east geopolitical zone of Nigeria.
An elated Pastor Folorunsho said, “This is to let the world and our friends know that the support they are giving to the orphans, widows, displaced people, and the vulnerable in our centre is yielding great results.
“Besides those who graduated last year and those about to graduate, more than 200 are currently studying at different universities, with no fewer than 150 others processing their admissions.”
Ishaku’s academic journey has been decorated with numerous awards, including the Best Graduating Student 2023 Award, the Mike Ozekhome Award for Overall Best-Graduating Student, the Best Student Award in the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Honours for Excellence in Entrepreneurship and the Faculty of Engineering.
Folorunsho also confirmed to journalists in Benin on Friday that Ishaku is set to resume his PhD programme later this month at the University of Illinois.
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