By CHIEDU UCHE OKOYE

Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Chief Philip Ikeazor, has instituted a scholarship award scheme named Marina Chikezie Ikeazor Scholarship to honour his mother and help brilliant students realise their educational aspirations.

The Marina Chikezie Ikeazor scholarship award scheme is dedicated to Ogbueshi Marina Chikezie Ikeazor, who was a spouse of the legal luminary, Chief Chimezie Ikeazor (deceased), for her inculcation of the love of education into her children.

The scholarship award scheme for youths of Umu Nnakwa kindred in Ire village, Obosi, Anambra State, is intended to help them achieve their lofty educational aspirations, rekindle their waning interest in education, and reduce their parents' financial burden of sponsoring their education in schools.

The inaugural edition of the Marina Chikezie Scholarship award scheme took place at the expansive compound of Mr. Igwebuike Mbanefo, Uruowulu village, Obosi, Anambra State on June 1, 2025.

The recipients of the maiden edition of the scholarship award are Ikebuaka, Somtochukwu Emmanuel and Belonwu, Chidinma Favour.

They out-scored other students who sat for the different categories of tests conducted by staff of the West Africa Examination Council in partnership with Umu Nnakwa kindred educational committee.

The emergence of Master Ikeabuaka, an undergraduate student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka and Miss Belonwu, a post-primary student in Obosi as winners of the scholarship awards was based solely on meritocracy.

Master Ikebuaka and Miss Belonwu each received the princely sums of N2.5 million and N1.5 million respectively for their tuition, expenses on textbooks, and other matters related to their schooling for the 2025 academic session.

More so, it should be noted that their continued enjoyment of the Marina Chikezie Ikeazor scholarship award scheme, which should run throughout their respective tertiary educational programme and secondary school education day(s), is dependent on their earning grades, which are not below the stipulated benchmarks.

The grand event climaxed with the presentation of cheques to the two best performing students by Col. Sam Agbanusi (Rtd), who represented Chief Philip Ikeazor at the event and the Obosi Development Union president general, Barr. Chimezie Obi.

Col. Agbanusi (Rtd) described, Chief Philip Ikeazor, who is the benefactor of the two best-performing students, as an intellectual, humanist, and philanthropist whose elitist family background and lofty achievements have neither unmoored him from the cultural practices of his people nor alienated him from his town's people.

"Although Philip Ikeazor was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he is a humanist, who can vicariously experience the sufferings of the downtrodden people.

"And he is a humble, unobtrusive, and accessible man, who has mentored people and helped them to secure employments in diverse government and private establishments," Agbanusi said.

In his own remarks, Barr. Obi expressed his thankfulness to Chief Philip Ikeazor for instituting the scholarship scheme and enjoined other well-heeled and highly-placed Obosi natives to toe the line of Chief Ikeazor so as to restore the past and fading glories of Obosi in the area of education.

"Obosi is known for education. That is why we have Chief Emeka Anyaoku, the late Engr. Isaac Iweka, Dr. Kodilinye, and others.

"So we will continue to make efforts to rekindle and sustain our youths' interest in education.

"Therefore, I enjoin other Obosi indigenes who occupy exalted posts in the government at different strata to emulate Chief Ikeazor's gesture," Obi said.

More so, Master Ikebuaku who is one of the recipients of the Marina Chikezie Ikeazor scholarship award scheme said this: "I am so happy about this award. So I am thanking Chief Ikeazor for giving me this Scholarship award.

"And I am making the promise that I would do exceedingly well in my academic pursuit so as to make my helper proud and justify the money spent in sponsoring my education."

The other recipient of the scholarship award, Chidinma Favour Belonwu said this: "I feel blessed about this. That is why I am praying for God's blessings to rain on Chief Philip Ikeazor. And I am praying to God to make it possible for me to study medicine in the university."

Dignitaries that attended the Marina Chikezie Scholarship award scheme were Engr. Solormy Ochokwu, the Chairman of the Obosi Development Union Education Committee; Hon. Anthony Amaifeobu, Obosi Development Union Vice President III; Nze Emma Okafor, Secretary of Obosi Security Management and Finance Committee; Nze Chitolue Eziamaka, Vice Chairman of Umu Nnakwa family kindred in Ire-Obosi; members of Umu Nnakwa family kindred; and countless others.

•Chiedu Uche Okoye is a staff member of Anambra ministry of information.