It was a moment of joy for the people of Nkpologu Ward in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Council, as the former Secretary, Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), Barr. Chukwudi Amah, paid all school and West African Examination Council (WAEC) fees for candidates from the ward.
The students, drawn from Joerose Community Secondary School, Ogba Nkpologu, and Sacred Heart College, Nkpologu, were informed of this gesture on Thursday during an interaction with the philanthropist, students, and staff.
Addressing the students, Amah said his compassionate act is aimed to support underprivileged students and ensure access to quality education, complementing Governor Peter Mbah’s efforts in allocating 33% of the state’s budget to education.
He stressed that education breaks the cycle of poverty, saying, “I passed through thorns to get educated and will do everything to encourage others to toe the line of education.”
“Today marks a significant moment—the second time I have paid WAEC fees for our young people. Last time, it was 45 students. Today, we celebrate 75 of you—75 futures waiting to be written, 75 dreams waiting to take flight. Studies reveal a 10% increase in government investment in education can decrease poverty by nearly 3%. Education breaks the vicious cycle of poverty that has held too many families captive for generations.
He said that the benefit of education is not that it will only be felt by the individual but will be felt by the person's family, community, state, country and humanity.
" When you excel, you build a bridge for others. You prove that where you come from doesn’t determine where you’re going. I’m doing this because I remember the assistance given to me. I’m giving back because the success of these students are my success.”
The Vice Principal of Joerose Community Secondary School, Mr. Philip Okpe described Amah as blessing to the people, a man who has been devoting his resources to ensure that the people of the community excel in their academics.
According to him, he had lifted the financial burden of parents who were already thinking on the way to pay these fees and have their children enrolled in the next WAEC exam.
"I am very delighted seeing our brother, Barr. Chukwudi Amah helping the needy. Here in the village, majority of the parents are poor and will find it difficult to pay their children's school fees. But today, Amah has taken that load off them by paying these fees. We can only but ask the God Almighty to continue to bless him and make a way for him," Okpe said.
On her part, the Vice Principal of the Sacred Heart College, Mrs Nnaemena Ifeyinwa, who is also a native of the community lauded Amah's kind gestures, stating that it wasn't the first time he paid the WAEC fees of candidates but has been doing a lot for the students in the community.
She advised the girls to be industrious in order to come out with flying colours, insisting that success can only be gotten through hard work.
"I am very excited witnessing this again in our community, Nkpologu. Barr. Chukwudi Amah is a man with a heart of gold who has shown compassion to the needy. He has demonstrated the character of a true son of the soil by removing the load of paying the WAEC and school fees from the parents. Considering the nature of the economy today, it is not an easy thing for someone to come out and pay both the WAEC fees and school fees of these students. Our prayers and good wishes are always with him."
Okoro Blessing from Joerose Community Secondary School, who spoke on behalf of other beneficiaries, thanked Amah for what she described as an investment into the future of the young ones, noting that many parents were finding it difficult to pay these fees.
Ifeanyichukwu Obochi while also speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries from the Sacred Heart College, Nkpologu, expressed delight over the development, saying that what the former ENSIEC Secretary did was something that can never be forgotten in a haste, as God has used him to wipe the tears of other students who were unsure of how their school fees and WAEC fees will come from.
He, however assured that they will put a lot of their efforts into ensuring that they clear all their results.
“He wiped away our tears and gave us hope. We won’t disappoint him. We appreciate the relief brought to our parents who are struggling amid economic hardship. We will struggle hard to ensure that his effort in bringing out this huge sum of money is not wasted," he said.
