The Chairman of Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Mrs. Ifeoma Peace Agwu, on Monday commenced bursary payment for undergraduates from the local government area, noting that the initiative was part of her first anniversary in office.

Speaking at the event held at the council headquarters in Ezillo, Governor Francis Nwifuru, represented by his Special Assistant on Students’ Affairs, Comrade Joshua Nwafor, praised Mrs. Agwu for prioritising students’ welfare, noting that the gesture complements the governor’s educational reforms.

He recalled that Nwifuru had earlier disbursed over ₦171 million to empower 172 students, in addition to more than 1,000 scholarship awards across the 171 wards of the state.

“It is only in Ishielu that a council chairman has taken this bold step, and it is even more remarkable that it is a woman leading this charge,” Nwafor said, urging other council bosses to emulate her.

In her anniversary address, Mrs. Agwu outlined her administration’s achievements across critical sectors, including peace-building, infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, security, and social welfare.

She highlighted the peaceful resolution of boundary disputes, the recognition of traditional rulers, the construction of rural roads, the installation of boreholes and solar-powered streetlights, the establishment of a health centre in Obuchiru, and the renovation of the council headquarters.

On social intervention, the chairman listed financial support for widows and victims of the Afor Ezillo fire incident, as well as the execution of medical outreach programmes.

In the education sector, she announced scholarship and bursary schemes, alongside facilitating civil service employment for over 200 indigenes of Ishielu.

At the event, Mrs. Agwu also donated ₦1 million to students to ease transportation costs, while urging them to obtain voter’s cards and actively participate in governance.

Stakeholders, including his aide on Youth Mobilisation, Stephen Chinonso Egbe, among others, at the occasion described her one-year scorecard as “outstanding,” noting that Ishielu has become a model for grassroots leadership in Ebonyi State.

Also, the National Association of Ishielu Students (NAIS), led by its National President, Comrade Chinedu Elijah Igwe, expressed delight at the official flag-off of the bursary and school fee support initiative.

The group commended Mrs. Agwu’s commitment to student welfare and pledged to support her administration’s programmes.