UTME best candidate, teachers get N3.25m reward

Dr. Eric Umeofia, Chief Executive Officer and President of Erisco Foods Limited, has made the announcement that the company will give the sum of N2.5 million in cash to Kamsiyochukwu Umeh, who was the top candidate in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Umeh, a student at Deeper Life High School in Mowe, Ogun State, emerged victorious in the UTME with a score of 360, making him the most qualified candidate overall. She received a perfect score in the areas of chemistry (99), mathematics (98), and physics (97), but only received a 66 in English.

According to Umeofia, who spoke with our correspondent on Friday, he was moved by the student’s interview with Saturday PUNCH on July 1, 2023. This interview took place on July 1.

The businessman also announced a variety of monetary rewards to be given to the school’s administrator, as well as to the four subject teachers and two additional students who excelled in their studies.

While Pastor Eze Emmanuel, the school’s administrator, would receive a salary of N200,000, each of the school’s teachers of Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, and English would receive a salary of N100,000.

Andrew Imoukhuede, another student at the school, received a score of 355 and will receive 100,000 naira, while the student who came in third place in the school will receive 50,000 naira.

Umeofia explained that the purpose of the gesture was to inspire other students to perform exceptionally well in their academic pursuits.

He continued, “I am also doing this not because I have a lot, but because my father taught me that giving is the answer to long life and happiness. I am not doing this because I have a lot.” We hope that other young women will follow in this young girl’s footsteps and be successful in order to help solve the issues facing this nation. The young people of this country are our only real hope for the future.

“I am happy to report that she came in first place out of the 1.6 million students who participated in the examination. My joy knows no bounds right now. I am overjoyed in particular due to the fact that she originated from Amish town, which is located in the Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State. The end of the civil war and the location where (former president Olusegun) Obasanjo accepted the surrender of Biafra both took place in Amish town; as a result, we are a town that values peace. The image of our community is being positively shaped by residents such as myself and this girl. If, as parents, we had to go through hardships in order to send our children to school, then they owe it to us to do something that will make us happy.

The businessman, who reportedly has a foundation through which he provides financial assistance to over one hundred students in the form of scholarships, stated that he had given away more than N500 million in grants to people who had business ideas. He added that he did this in order to support the economy.

Umeofia was overjoyed to learn that Umeh intended to major in chemical engineering because it meant that Umeh would financially back her education endeavors so long as she kept up her stellar performance in the classroom.

He continued by saying, “I want to call on other philanthropists to do the same so that we can have her type in various areas.” Because they lack facilities, some of the students in the class are not performing very well. Some have no followers or backers. Some people are starving. Why shouldn’t they be successful if we encourage them to read?

In addition to this, he pleaded with the Federal Government to enact effective policies that would persuade brilliant students such as Umeh to remain in the country after completing their educations so that they can contribute to the economy.