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Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (FMN), in collaboration with the George Coumantaros Foundation, recently awarded a postgraduate scholarship worth over N33m (€46,800) to two Nigerians.
The cheque presentation event, which took place at the group’s head office, Golden Penny Place, Apapa, Lagos, had some of the company’s management staff present the cheques to the beneficiaries.
Dubbed FMN-George Coumantaros Foundation scholarship scheme, the initiative is a postgraduate scholarship programme in conjunction with the American Farm School (AFS) and Perrotis College in Greece.
The programme is designed to afford deserving Nigerians an opportunity to broaden their horizon and acquire relevant skills and knowledge that can be further reinvested in the Nigerian economy.
The two successful candidates for the 2022 FMN–GCF postgraduate scholarship programme are Edegbo Simon Ojonugwa, who holds a BSc in Agriculture from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, graduating top of his class, and Ezeonu Alfred Chukwubuikem, a graduate of Food Engineering from the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Based on the awardees’ courses of choice, Edegbo will study MSc in Sustainable Agriculture and Management, while Ezeonu will go for MSc in New Food Product and Business Development at the American Farm School, in Greece.
Speaking on various ways that FMN is feeding the nation, and the credibility of the candidates’ selection process, FMN’s director, Group Strategy and Stakeholder Relations, Mr. Sadiq Usman, said: “When we feed the nation, every day, our impact goes beyond food processing and provision for Nigerians as we also feed possibilities and growth through our CSR and sustainability projects like the FMN-George Coumantaros Foundation scholarship programme.
“Through this programme, we are looking at creating an avenue where Nigerians would acquire knowledge and skills in line with socio-economic demands.
“More so, to ensure that the scholarship programme is afforded to the most deserving Nigerian students, we ensured that the selection process is transparent and seamless, from the computer-based tests to live interviews with subject matter experts from the American Farm School and Perrotis College, the process was handled with utmost professionalism.”
He further disclosed that “over 900 applications were received, but in the long run, the chosen two were the most suitable tests thus their qualification.
“As a group, FMN will continue to invest in human capital development to ensure that we all can attain our envisaged future as a nation.”
Commenting on the expectations from the awardees and the foundation, the Programme Director, George Coumantaros Foundation, Kyriakos Kyriakopoulos, noted that “with this scholarship programme, we have set in motion, a transformative process that would allow young Nigerians to adopt growth-driven strategies from various faculties of knowledge and be able to translate this knowledge into meaningful growth in Nigeria.
“We believe and hope that the selected candidates would put in their best to ensure that they maximize this opportunity given to them, and as always, we would be there to provide the needed support across their various touch points. Their success is our mandate.”
