The bursaries given to stu?dents in tertiary institutions by Udom Emmanuel, the immediate-past governor of Akwa Ibom State, is said to be brewing discontent at the United Evangelical Church, Surulere, in Lagos.

As reported in Sunday Independent of November 3, the former Executive Director of Zenith Bank recently doled out bursaries of N200,000 each to no fewer than 50 students studying at higher institu?tions, who are also members of the church in Lagos.

Apart from limiting po?tential beneficiaries of the bursary to members of the church in Lagos, the benefac?tor of the offer was also said to have instructed the leader?ship of Youth Fellowship in the church to enlist only those studying in public schools.

Noticing that the instruc?tion was not fully complied with, Udom had to openly do some screening even while handing out cheques to the recipients at one of the Sun?day church services.

In spite of Udom?s effort at cross-checking, as narrat?ed by a very reliable source, a member of the Youth Fel?lowship in the church, it was still suspected that some names could not be traced to the church?s fold, hence grumbling has been going on as some known students in public schools were said to have been left out.

The source mentioned one Anwangbasi Eyo as having three children in higher in?stitution, yet none benefitted from the bursary.

Sunday Independent had reported that ?There has also been allegations by some in murmuring mood that some of Udom?s welfare packages to members of the church and the church itself were being tinkered with by some mid?dleman used by the former governor.?

Lending credence to the earlier report by Sunday In?dependent another credible source in the church told this reporter that certain em?ployment secured in public and private sectors for some members of the church got lost on transit, giving room for another suspicion that the job prospects might have been sold out by those who were entrusted to facilitate them to the concerned persons.

Effort to get the take of the church Youth President, Edi?diong Udobia, was futile as he told Sunday Independent on telephone that he would not want to discuss issues concerning the church with someone he does not know.

Also, Eyo neither respond?ed to several calls and short medium messages, SMS, sent to him by this reporter.

However, in a telephone conversation with Sunday Independent on Saturday, Aniekan Udoh, a deacon and Secretary of the church, as?serted that ?in every human institution, there would al?ways be one or two issues? that could cause grievances ?as it is not possible to satisfy all at the same time?.

He said ?there are chan?nels of communication at all levels in the church,? which he said, was ?a very open place,? Udoh, who expressed gratitude to Sunday Indepen?dent for making attempt to get clarifications, wondered why those aggrieved never bothered to ?to get to those levels of authorities? before going public.

Meanwhile, as learnt by this newspaper, in a bid to assuage the grievances of some of the church mem?bers and bring back those who have left, Udom, a dea?con in the church, was said to be personally interfacing with cross sections of people in the church. (Sunday Independent)

Update news