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IKA WEEKLY – Respite has come the way of Master Chukwudi Ibobo, (Wonder Boy) the 15 year old Junior Secondary School III Student of Agbor Technical College, Agbor in Ika South Local Government Area, as the Board of Directors of Ika National Association, U.S.A has agreed to support the young lad?s education.
In a letter sent via e-mail to the publisher of Ika Weekly Newspaper, Mr. Steve Ekiri Mekiriuwa Ashien, by the National President of the association, Mr. Michael N. Ebie, the association has agreed to offer young Chukwudi a 4-year Scholarship of up to $500.00 (five hundred U.S. Dollars) an equivalent of about N60, 000.00 (sixty thousand naira) per year to any institution of higher learning in Nigeria. The National President disclosed that the whiz kid?s case has been referred to the association?s Education Committee to work out details of the scholarship.
According to Mr. Ebie, the gesture is also to encourage other Ika Youths in their pursuit of educational excellence. He commended Ika Weekly for bringing to the attention of not only the association but the entire public, particularly people of Ika ethnic nationality the young genius.
In a related development, the association, through its Board of Directors has also agreed to offer some financial assistance towards the medical treatment of a 15-year old girl with a serious medical condition, whose plight was brought to the attention of the association by a member who visited Nigeria recently. The girl whose name was given as Miss Blessing E. Emegha will receive an amount not exceeding $1000.00 (one thousand U.S. Dollars) about N130, 000.00 (one hundred and thirty thousand naira). The fund, according to Mr. Ebie, will be disbursed as soon as modalities are worked out. The association while expressing that it is not possible to come to the aid of everyone with special need or circumstance noted that cases of Chukwudi and Blessing merited some assistance, and wished both of them success in their educational pursuit and speedy recovery respectively.
This heartwarming development and humane gesture of our kiths and kins in far-away United States of America has once again brought to the fore the need for Ika people especially the youths to be serious minded in whatever positive endeavour they are into. Infact, it is an indirect wakeup call on the youths of Ika ethnic nationality to pursue their life ambitions with strong sense of commitment and perseverance.
For Master Chukwudi, despite growing up in a discouraging environment, he was able to discover his creative talents which he is promoting, by constantly working on one prototype and toy vehicles including toy robots. He did not allow the environment or peer influence to rob off on him. Instead, everyday the enterprising young genius is seen working tirelessly in his workshop along Upper Queen Street, Agbor, churning out different prototype vehicles that include sports car, that can move some metres up and down the street, miniature combat-ready-military helicopter that can fly about ten feet high above the ground, a bulldozer that can lift a handful of sand into a waiting truck, which would in turn move some metres away and empty its content on the ground, a small robot that can carry a small bucket of water, and a coach of trains that can move on a circular rail line.
For us in Ika Weekly, we think that this is the beginning of good things to come to Ika land as it is a pointer to the facts that any Ika child who distinguishes himself or herself will not be left in the lurch.
We have agreed that his exhibition should be on 27th of May which is children?s day. So let us include it.
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