MTN Foundation Spent N3bn on Scholarships in 10 Years, Director Reveals

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The MTN Foundation has revealed that it spent about N3 billion on scholarships for science students and students with disabilities across the country in the past 10 years.
A Director with the MTN Foundation, Dr. Reginald Okeya, revealed this yesterday, while speaking with journalists at the scholarship award ceremony for science and technology students and the blind, held in Port Harcourt.

Speaking on the project, Okeya, said the project was geared towards assisting families who could not afford tuition for their wards in schools, adding that it was the telecommunications way of giving back to the society.

On the new beneficiaries, the director of MTN Foundation said over 300 students benefited from project which was splinted in batches.
He said: “What you witnessed today (yesterday) is one of our projects and it has been ongoing for the past 10 years. Is a project that is targeted towards helping families that cannot afford tuition for their wards.

“It is our own way of giving back to the society; it is part of our corporate social responsibility for the society. So, every year as a foundation we set out certain amount of money for scholarships both for the blind and other students.

“For this one, we have them in batches. This batch is about 300 beneficiaries. It is mainly for science students, for normal and disabled students. They go through a process; we have a consultant that overseas this project.”

On his part, Regional General Manager for MTN, South, Mr. ThankGod Otorkpa, advised the beneficiaries to be focused on their studies so as not to fall out of the scholarship, stressing that the students must be intentional in achieving success at the end of the project package.

Otorkpa added, “The beneficiaries will outdo themselves and in MTN we believe on outdoing ourselves, be the best version of who you can be.
“What MTN has given to them is a seed, hopefully a seed sowed on a fertile ground and we believe in them, we believe in what they will become. Your background must not be a barrier; you must endeavor to succeed in life.

In their separate remarks, the Vice Chancellors of Rivers State University, University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Nlerum Okogbule and Prof. Owunari Georgewill, respectively appreciated MTN Foundation for their benevolent project on education.

Okogbule said “This is very significant for not only Rivers but Nigeria at large. MTN has displayed responsibility on CSR.”