A group aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda has paid Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registration fees for 10,000 students in Ebonyi State, with each beneficiary receiving N8,500 to cover the cost of examination registration.
The South East Renewed Hope Agenda (SERHA) disbursed the funds on Tuesday in Abakaliki, the state capital, in an event that attracted stakeholders, education advocates, community leaders, parents, and students from across the state's 13 local government areas and 171 wards.
The State Coordinator of SERHA, James Eze Alaka, said the initiative was designed to ensure that no qualified student was turned away from higher education on account of financial hardship, describing the sponsorship as "an investment in the future of the South East and Nigeria at large." He also recalled previous SERHA interventions in the region, including a zonal empowerment programme in Owerri in December 2024 and distributions of vehicles, motorcycles, grinding machines, hair dryers, and food items across Ebonyi State in 2025.
Alaka commended Ebonyi State Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru for supporting federal efforts through education focused policies, pointing to the governor's sponsorship of over 1,000 postgraduate students at home and abroad.
The National Coordinator of SERHA, Belusochukwu Enwere, told those gathered that the programme carried a significance well beyond examination fees. "Today is not just about registration for an examination. It is about unlocking doors of opportunity. It is about investing in the future and empowering a generation that will shape the destiny of our state and nation," he said.
Enwere praised the Tinubu administration for education sector reforms, including the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), and called on students to make the most of the opportunity. "To our dear students, this is your stepping stone to greater heights. Prepare with focus and discipline. The future belongs to those who prepare for it today," he urged.
Observers noted that the sponsorship of JAMB fees for 10,000 students represents one of the largest single education support interventions in Ebonyi State in recent memory.
