The Lagos state government has commended Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) for the success of the National Cradle-to-Career (NC2C) which penultimate week awarded full scholarships to 104 pupils from Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.
During the award ceremony held at Lead Fort Gate College, Lekki in Lagos, Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat Adebule, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Adesina Odeyemi, said SNEPCo has kept faith with the commitment of supporting indigent Nigerian youths to attend some of the best secondary schools in the country and helping to reduce the number of school dropout before completion of basic education.
The Managing Director of SNEPCo, Mr. Bayo Ojulari, who was represented at the award ceremony by the General Manager Exploration, Mr. Dayo Adewuyi, said the educational initiative contributes towards the actualisation of the UNESCO ‘Education for All’ goal.
He said: “We also do this because, to us in SNEPCo, education is key to national development. In the three years of the programme, we are already seeing signs of success. Last year, for instance, one of the scholars was awarded a scholarship by the implementing school because of her exceptional academic performance. So, I expect that this set will settle for no less.”
The award recipients emerged through a competitive process starting with an aptitude test which was open to graduating pupils in public primary schools in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. They then underwent a two-week orientation programme with introductory courses in academics, character and psychology to prepare them for a seamless integration into their new learning environment.
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The latest awards bring to 267 the total sponsorship since the NNPC/SNEPCo NC2C was introduced three years ago.
The latest beneficiaries have joined the other recipients who are enrolled in six leading private schools – Lead Forte Gate College, Lagos; Premiere Academy, Abuja; Nigerian Tulip International College, Kaduna; St. Francis Catholic Secondary School, Lagos; Top Faith International Secondary School, Akwa Ibom State; and Grundtvig International Secondary School, Anambra State.
The NC2C scholarships are just one of the many programmes in SNEPCo’s social investment portfolio in Nigeria. Other programmes include the equipping and donation of information technology and communication centres in many primary, secondary and tertiary institutions and hosting of health outreaches in different parts of the country.
SNEPCo had recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of a multi-million naira e-Library for the Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, and the company signed another MoU last week for the construction of a centre of excellence in Geoscience at the University of Lagos.