Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Friday, reiterated the importance of education, even as he announced a personal donation of N100 million to support the educational and empowerment initiatives of the Senator representing Enugu West, Senator Osita Ngwu.

Ngwu announced on Friday a scholarship and bursary award of N250 million to approximately 5000 students of Enugu West Senatorial District under his Enugu West Academy (EWA).

Akpabio, who was the special guest at the event held in Enugu, described himself as a “proud and passionate in-law” of Enugu State.

Akpabio, visibly moved by the scale of the “Enugu West Academy”—which reportedly trains nearly 9,000 participants—pointed out that such grassroots investments are the remedy to criminality and poverty.

“I came here thinking I would leave within an hour for another function, but seeing the magnitude of what is happening, I told my pilot to stand down,” Akpabio told the cheering crowd. “This is an uncommon project. While some are giving out clay pots and burial materials, implying their people should die, Osita is doling out hope and telling children to go to school”, he said

Akpabio used the occasion to reaffirm his deep ancestral and academic ties to the state, stressing that his late uncle, Dr. I.U. Akpabio, served as the Minister of Education in the former Eastern Region and played a pivotal role in the founding of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).

“I am an honorary scholar and a PhD holder from the University of Nigeria. There is a hall named after my family there,” he stated. He also acknowledged his wife’s role in the state’s development, noting that as a daughter of the soil, she was currently on the ground preparing for the upcoming visit of the First Lady of the Federation, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

In a lighthearted yet firm address to the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Akpabio urged the legislature to codify a “Marriage Account” law. He joked that all prominent in-laws of the state, whether in business or politics, should be mandated to return annually to give an account of their contributions to the state’s development.

“I come every year to give an account of my marriage. Let all our in-laws do the same. We have good products in Enugu, and they are very marketable. Please, when you pass that law, add my name as the first to comply,” he remarked, drawing laughter from the dignitaries, including the Deputy Governor of Enugu State.

He said he had completed several road projects in Enugu, including a 1.6km asphalted road to a monastery, a 1.5km road in Opi, Nsukka, and the upcoming 2025 Delta Water Scheme aimed at providing potable water to several communities.

Reflecting on his own journey, Akpabio shared how he began his scholarship program in 1988, immediately after graduation. He challenged the beneficiaries of the Enugu West Academy to pay it forward, citing a story of a pilot he once trained who later flew him on a commercial flight.

Senator Ngwu noted that the 2024/2026  scholarship distribution was part of efforts to improve knowledge and investment in the young people of the zone.

He said the most important investment any leader can make is human capacity development, stressing that education empowers citizens to think, innovate, and lead.

He said that in 2024, no fewer than 18 exceptional students studying across Universities in Nigeria received scholarships totalling N81 million through his Academy.

While congratulating those who benefited from the exercise this year, he assured that he would continue to contribute to his philosophy: “Leave no child behind in Enugu West Zone”.