By Steve Oko

UMUAHIA – In a gesture underscoring personal commitment to youth empowerment, the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Abia State, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, has commenced a free bursary and JAMB registration scheme for indigent students.

No fewer than 180 students benefited from the initiative fully sponsored by the CoS which held at Umuezegu Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area.

Addressing the beneficiaries, Ajagba said the programme was designed to remove financial barriers that often deny brilliant but underprivileged youths access to higher education.

He stressed that the gesture was a personal intervention and not funded by the state government.

He noted that the administration of Governor Alex Otti remains youth-focused and future-driven, pointing to initiatives such as the Abia Leadership Academy and TechRise, which he said were established to equip young people with relevant skills for a rapidly changing global economy.

“Education remains the most reliable pathway to a secured and meaningful future. This support is meant to give you a fair chance to compete and succeed,” Ajagba told the students, urging them to see the opportunity as a turning point in their personal and family histories.

Sharing his personal journey, the Chief of Staff disclosed that he sat for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination eight times before gaining admission into the university, a testimony, he attributed to the power of perseverance.

“If I had given up early, I would not be here today partnering with His Excellency to help reshape and rebrand Abia State,” he said, encouraging the beneficiaries to remain focused and resilient.

Ajagba cautioned the students to utilise the funds strictly for educational purposes, adding that plans were underway to expand the initiative to include youths in vocational training, entrepreneurship and other empowerment programmes.

He further expressed his vision of an Abia where every household produces at least one graduate and one financially independent individual, challenging the beneficiaries to become pacesetters in their families.

Some of the beneficiaries, including Favour Nmesomachi, Dickson Success, Ndubuisi Divine and Gift Onwughara, described the intervention as life-changing, saying it had rekindled their hope and renewed their determination to pursue academic excellence.

They expressed gratitude to Ajagba for what they termed a rare opportunity made possible by selfless leadership, offering prayers for his continued strength, protection and success, while pledging to justify the confidence reposed in them and make Abia State proud.