Forty-seven students of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka in Anambra State, have been offered scholarship by the government of China through its October 1st Chinese Ambassador Scholarship Award Ceremony.
The beneficiaries were presented with N100,000 cash each by the officials of Chinese embassy, led by Charge d’ Affaires to Nigeria, Lin Jing, at the school auditorium.
The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Joseph Ahaneku, described the gesture as “remarkable in the annals of the university”, explaining that the beneficiaries were indigent students who put up best performance in their courses of study. According to the VC, the beneficiaries were students studying courses, including vocational education, technical education and entrepreneurial studies.
Prof Ahaneku disclosed that it was the first time Chinese government would give scholarship to students of the university studying locally. He pointed out that over 200 students of the university are pursuing higher degrees in different universities in China through similar grant by the Chinese embassy. The VC thanked the Chinese government for its special interest in the university, expressing optimism that the partnership would grow in strengths.
Jing, who represented the Chinese ambassador at the event, said UNIZIK had special attraction to China because of the establishment of Confucius Institute in 2008, which, he said, had opened a window of mutual opportunities for Nigeria and China.
The scholarship, Jing said, was initiated to mark the Chinese National Day, which fell on October 1. He added that the embassy chose 47 beneficiaries to represent 47 years of diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and China.
He urged the beneficiaries to be ambassadors of the two countries, while expressing gratitude to the university for promoting Chinese values through higher education.
Source: campustrends
