The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has commended the Senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District, Osita Ngwu, for investing heavily in the education of young Nigerians through scholarships and bursary awards.
Akpabio gave the commendation on Friday in Enugu while speaking as Special Guest of Honour at the Osita Ngwu Scholarship and Bursary Awards ceremony, where the lawmaker disbursed over N250 million to deserving students from the senatorial district.
The Senate President described Ngwu’s initiative as a transformative investment in the future of youths in Enugu State, noting that empowering young people through education remains one of the most effective ways to build a prosperous society.
“We cannot quantify in monetary value what Senator Osita is doing today by investing in the future of these children. When you give a child education, you empower that child to achieve their potential in life and compete anywhere in the world,” Akpabio said.
He described Ngwu as a natural philanthropist who is driven by the conviction that no child should be left behind due to illiteracy or lack of opportunity.
“Senator Osita is a giver, not because he is a senator or because he has so much money, but because he strongly believes that no child should be left behind to wallow in illiteracy and ignorance.
“Building the future of these children is an uncommon project. Bringing out students who are excelling in universities and empowering them to become good citizens of Nigeria is highly commendable,” he added.
Akpabio further noted that the scholarship initiative was not funded through any government allocation but through Ngwu’s personal sacrifice.
“You do not have a budget for this, yet you have chosen to invest your personal savings and salary to support these students. I also understand that you have been doing this for the past 30 years. I can only congratulate you,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, who was represented by his deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai, praised Ngwu for what he described as a patriotic commitment to youth development in the state.
In his remarks, Ngwu recounted the humble beginnings of the scholarship initiative, recalling how his personal experience as a student inspired him to help young people facing similar challenges.
“Years ago, as a student, I watched brilliant young people slowly lose confidence—not because they lacked intelligence, but because opportunity came too late and preparation came too weakly. I saw dreams fade quietly, not from failure, but from the absence of support,” he said.
He explained that the initiative started with free lessons for a small group of students, which later evolved into the Enugu West Academy, a network of learning centres across communities in the district.
“Today, those humble beginnings have grown into Enugu West Academy, with learning centres across our communities and thousands of young people studying every day. It proves that when opportunity meets preparation, destinies change,” Ngwu said.
He encouraged students preparing for examinations to remain committed to their studies, stressing that discipline and perseverance would ultimately shape their success.
“This is not just an event; it is a statement that hard work will be seen, effort will be rewarded, and no child’s dream should be limited by circumstance,” he added.