The Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said the selection process of 81 new beneficiaries of the Alex Otti Foundation was purely merit-based, with no human intervention.
The governor also increased the annual scholarship award for beneficiaries from N250,000 to N350,000, citing economic realities.
Otti announced the increment on Saturday at the scholarship banquet for the new beneficiaries of the Foundation held in Umuahia.
The governor said the new amount would also apply to other cohorts of the Foundation who are still in school.
He said, “The selection process for the scholarship was strictly merit-based with no human intervention. The beneficiaries were chosen irrespective of their political affiliation or background.
“Out of the 81 of you, none of you knows me, except that you know I am the governor. It is strictly by merit. If you qualify, you are taken. We don’t want to know who your parents support or where you come from.”
Otti disclosed that the Foundation, established in 2009, was restructured in 2019 and modelled after the United Kingdom’s Chevening Scholarship, with the aim of surpassing it.
The governor congratulated six beneficiaries of the Foundation who graduated with First Class honours this year and challenged the new 81 scholars to emulate them.
He said, “Six of you graduated with First Class this year. The challenge for the 81 of you is, if these six can do it, why not you? I want to see 50 First Class graduates in a few years.”
The governor clarified that the Alex Otti Foundation has no political undertone, noting that it existed before his foray into politics and will continue after politics, adding that the Foundation paid to use the government facility for this year’s banquet because it had been commercialised.
He assured residents that Abia State would not return to its past, saying his administration is focused on rebuilding the state.
Also speaking, the Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Chief Augustine Okezie, commended Otti for sustaining the scholarship scheme.
Okezie urged the beneficiaries to justify the investment in their education by striving for excellence and making meaningful contributions to society through their chosen professions.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Alex Otti Foundation, Mr Chidi Nnanna, described the 2026 scholarship banquet as exceptional, noting that the 81 beneficiaries were selected from more than 5,000 applicants through a rigorous screening process.
Nnanna revealed that a total of 302 scholars had benefited from the foundation’s scholarship programme, reaffirming its commitment to supporting students with the academic ability and financial need to pursue their education.