Cross River State Government has called on Singaporean agribusiness firm, PZ Wilmar Nigeria, to scale up its scholarship scheme for children from its 20 host communities as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The appeal was made during the 12th edition of the Wilmar 2025 Scholarship Award Ceremony, held on Tuesday at Enun Comprehensive Secondary School, Mbarakom, Akamkpa Local Government Area.

The State Commissioner for Education, Senator Stephen Odey, represented by the Akamkpa Education Secretary, Mr. Itaya, commended the firm for its ongoing commitment to education but urged it to expand the initiative to reach more beneficiaries.

He called on the 58 recipients of this year’s award to take their studies seriously and justify the investment made in them.

“We appreciate what Wilmar is doing, and we urge them to sustain and expand this laudable effort. The state government is committed to supporting all initiatives that promote education,” Odey stated.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Akamkpa Local Government Area, Hon. Felix Akposi, and the member representing Akamkpa I in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Okon Owuna, called for an increase in the number and scope of the scholarships. They advocated for the inclusion of postgraduate and foreign study opportunities, particularly for students pursuing Master’s and PhD programmes.

“We want to see more of our children benefiting from this initiative—not just at undergraduate level, but also at the postgraduate and international level,” Owuna said.

The Paramount Ruler of Akamkpa, Ophot Agbor Ewa, advised the beneficiaries to take full advantage of the opportunity, warning them against complacency.

“This scholarship is your ticket to a better future. Take it seriously. Don’t make us regret giving you this opportunity, because there are many others waiting,” the monarch cautioned.

He also urged the scholarship committee to closely monitor the academic progress of the recipients to ensure accountability.

In his remarks, PZ Wilmar General Manager, Mr. Arumugan Vijaya Ananth, disclosed that the company set up an independent scholarship committee, chaired by septuagenarian Prof. Arikpo Bassey Arikpo of the University of Calabar, to ensure transparency in the selection process.

“This year, we requested each of the 20 host communities to nominate three undergraduate candidates. While 60 were expected, the committee screened and approved 58 based on merit,” Ananth said.

He explained that the scholarships, valued at a minimum of ₦200,000 annually per student, plus an additional ₦50,000 for other charges depending on the course and institution, will cover four years of study. So far, over 450 students have benefited from the scheme.

According to him, the allocation is targeted: 40% for engineering students, 25% for medicine, 9% for management sciences, and just 7% for agriculture.

He expressed concern about the low uptake in agricultural studies, urging host communities to encourage more interest in agronomy.

“We want more of our host community children to take an interest in agronomy so they can eventually manage this firm when we, the expatriates, exit,” he said.

Ananth also revealed that the company has established two primary and two secondary schools in its host communities and recently invested over ₦80 million in upgrading those facilities.