The Rivers State Government has come under pressure to revive its defunct Scholarship Board following an intervention by a youth leader who personally sponsored examination registration for 30 underprivileged students.

Comrade Imeabe Saviour Oscar, who leads both the Ogoni Youths Development Initiative and the South South Youths Initiative, appealed on Wednesday whilst distributing free JAMB forms to students from Gwara Community in Khana Local Government Area.

The activist linked the collapse of the scholarship programme to increasing youth involvement in criminal activities, arguing that many young people resort to vices due to the inability to finance their education.

"I want to call on the government in place to see how they can go back to the system where Rivers State Government was giving out scholarships because not everybody or every family are bouyant enough to sponsor their children to school. And that's why there is a high level of prostitution, stealing and crime in our society, because so many people in school are using every means possible to graduate. After all, their parents cannot afford their fees anymore. Our Rivers State Scholarship Board must come up so that qualified people can get a scholarship from the state government," Comrade Oscar emphasised.

Beyond the call for government action, the youth leader challenged privileged members of the community to invest in education, describing his donation as a model for others to follow.

"Seeing people giving back to their communities is one good thing that I consider very important. So this is an avenue to motivate you all and also call on our brothers and sisters that are capable of this kind of gesture to also do the same because if we all give attention to where we come, our community will be better than the way it is right now," he noted.

He issued a stern warning to beneficiaries against joining secret cults or engaging in activities that could jeopardise their academic future. "If you are a beneficiary of this JAMB form and the admission processes, don't call me for any challenge relating to cult activities because I won't respond to such calls. Ensure that the reason why you went to school is not in vain, and the reason I sacrificed my little is not also wasted," he cautioned.

Comrade Oscar also advocated for patronage of the Federal University of Environmental Technology in Tai, Ogoni, describing it as a product of the community's struggle.
"I will encourage you to pick the Federal University of Environmental Technology (FUET), Ogoni, as your first choice because it's on our land and we all fought for this particular development. This school was given to us as a result of the ongoing dialogue for oil resumption in Ogoni by the Federal Government led by Bola Ahmed Tinubu," he explained.

Deebii ThankGod Celestine, formerly of the National Union of Gwara Students, praised the initiative whilst beneficiaries Divine Lekia Legborsi and Nabura Goodness Barisiletam pledged to justify the investment through excellent academic performance.