By Scholastica Hir, Makurdi

Two legislators from Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State , Hon. Terseer Tsumba, and Hon. Emmanuel Orker-Jev have instituted an annual award of scholarship grants to 410 students from the area.

Each student would receive N10, 000 with Orker-Jev who first initiated the scheme paying N2.1 million while Tsumba would pay the balance of two million bringing the total amount to N4.I million.

Hon. Orker-Jev representing Buruku federal constituency at the House of Representatives in Abuja made this known during the commissioning of his constituency office, and distribution of fertilizer to farmers, motorcycles to party leaders as well as disbursement of grants and exercise books to students.

Hon. Orker-Jev explained that the constituency office was to enable him keep in touch with his constituents and afford them the opportunity to reach him personally or through his staff with their advice, suggestions and demands which he said were necessary for the development of the area.

He said, he had employed 10 members of staff to run his constituency office and procured 300 bags of fertilizer, just as he did last year, for distribution to less privileged farmers in order to compliment the state government’s efforts in enhancing the status of the state as the food basket of the nation.

On the scholarships, he maintained that ‘I had intended to assist some 100 students with scholarship but when 500 responded we felt compassion on them and took the figure up to 210.’ 

With regard to the motorcycles, he said he was emulating the example of the state government which has provided vehicles for the Peoples Democratic Party executives in the state insisting that ‘no longer will party leaders be used and dumped soon after elections, only to be courted when another election was at hand.

The legislator donated one motorcycle to each of the 13 ward Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmen in the council area.

Mr. Tsumba who is the Speaker of the State House of Assembly while making remarks at the occasion said he would not set up a separate scholarship scheme but rather partner with Orker-Jev to boost the scheme so that 200 students would be added to the initial 210 earmarked as beneficiaries.