US to award $3million scholarships to Nigerian students

ABUJA—United States Government has offered $3 million scholarship grants to Nigerian students for the 2011 and 2012 academic year, the US Embassy disclosed yesterday.

The scholarship scheme, under the Educational Advisory Centre, according to the Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy, James McAnulty, will afford Nigerian students the opportunity of studying in the United States.

Speaking during 2011 Annual College and career Fair in Abuja, McAnulty said: “During the 2011 to 2012 academic year, we anticipate that Nigerian students participating in our Educational Advisory Centre will receive nearly three million dollars in financial aid and scholarships.

Further more, according to Punch report; the envoy was delighted that institutions of higher learning in US had remained popular among Nigerian students.

According to him, this is why the Institute of International Education said Nigeria sends more students to the US than any other country in sub-Saharan Africa.

He added that the beneficiaries not only contributed to the diversity of America’s academic institutions, but also made lasting contributions to the Nigerian society when they returned home after their studies.

He said Nigeria had over 6,500 students studying at over 733 institutions in all 50 states of the US and the District of Columbia.

He also said Texas was the most popular state in America for Nigerians.

The envoy said, “Our annual college and career fairs have directly contributed to the increase in the number of excellent Nigerian applicants to US institutions, as well as increased financial aid and scholarships for Nigerians students.”

Representatives from 20 US universities took part in the fair.

Abel Philip, an indigent student from Kogi State, who took part in a previous edition of the fair, won a scholarship worth over $57,118 to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in the US.

___________

Partly curled from Vanguard & Punch