The Abia State Government has taken steps to alleviate the harsh impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students of the State University, Uturu.
It has, therefore, approved the immediate payment of bursary to students of the institution who are of Abia origin plus additonal “N30,000 to each Abia student in the institution as further support to them, their parents and guardians.”
The State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, who announced the government’s gesture after a Town Hall Meeting with students and management of institution, explained that it was to cushion the effects of the pandemic “in this very difficult moment of economic downturn caused by the global health crisis.”
Gov. Ikpeazu, who scrapped the “pandemic prevention fee” levied on the students by the school management, said though that fee was meant to enable the management of ABSU to put in place adequate measures to protect the students expected back on campus soon, his Administration took the step of its cancellation “after a deep review of the agreement and its likely on all the students and their parents.”
Gov. Ikpeazu expressed satisfaction with the progress the school had made in the last five years and pledged future support for the institution.
He said: “Yesterday, I had a Town Hall meeting with students and management of Abia State University where a fee of N25,000 per student was proposed as medical fee but slashed to N15,000 to help ABSU put in place adequate measures to protect the soon to resume students from COVID-19 pandemic. In that same meeting, I approved immediate bursary payment to students of Abia origin in ABSU, to alleviate impact of COVID-19 on them and enable them meet the medical fee obligations with ease.
“However, after a deep review of the agreement and its likely effect on all the students and their parents, I’ve directed the immediate scrapping of the “pandemic prevention fee” by school management. Our government will now go ahead to pay N30,000 to each Abia student in the institution as further support to them, their parents and guardians in this very difficult moment of economic downturn caused by the global health crisis.
“Let me also add that we are proud of the progress made by the institution in the past 5 years and will continue to support them.
