NO ABIA POLITICIAN COMPARES TO SEN. ORJI - STUDENTS

Sent. Orji issuing a cheque to blind Mpama.

As Abians continue to pure encomium on Sen. Theodore Orji following his N24 million scholarships scheme to physically challenged and indigent undergraduates, students have maintained that no politician measured up to him in Abia State.
The students who declared their love and support for Sen. Orji said his scholarship programme has brought to an end their pain of carrying over courses and having extra years as a result of failure/delay in payment of tuition fees.
Ifeanyi Mpama, a blind 200 level First-Class student of University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), whose dream of becoming a lecturer was given a lifeline with the Sen. Orji Annual Scholarship said his encounter with Sen. Orji has changed his perception of him formed on hearsay.
He added that Sen. Orji is completely a different person compared to what some people were made to believe.
“No, he is not the monster detractor are projecting to the masses. If we have 10 of him, Abia will be a wonderful place to live,” he said.
He said that the scholarship scheme is a proof that the Abia Central senator has the interest of the masses at heart,” adding that “there are other things he (Ochendo) has been doing, assisting indigent ones.”
Amarachi Duroha, a student of Microbiology, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU) who knows what delayed payment of schools fees could do to a student’s academic pursuit also said with regret.
 “I missed two courses last year because I did not pay my school fees. I was not allowed to write my examinations because I could not settle my fees early enough before the semester examination commenced.
According to her, by the time she had struggled to pay the fees two of her courses had been written and so she missed them. The implication for the Microbiology student, who is now in 400-level, is that she has carried over the missed courses.
This is an experience that the undergraduate from Ikwuano Local Government would neither want to happen to her again nor wish for any undergraduate.
Ikenna Nwankwere, a 200-level Law student of Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU) equally had a sad experience of delayed payment of school fees.
 Though in his own situation it did not lead to missing of his courses during semester examinations, Nwankwere said that he was always finding it hard to concentrate on his studies as long as his school fees remained unpaid.
Similarly, Esther Okata said that “it’s been very difficult” paying her school fees at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike where she is studying Human Resources Management.
Now in her 200-level, Okata, who is from a family of five said that her father died when she was three years old hence it has been really a struggle for her to pursue her education at university level.
The difficulties encountered by these bright but indigent students have ended on January 6, 2017 when they became beneficiaries of the Senator T.A. Orji Annual Scholarship Scheme.