The Ebonyi State Government has approved the sum of N2 billion to fund the scholarship awarded to 597 beneficiaries to study within Nigerian universities.
The amount covers school fees, research funding and living expenses of the beneficiaries.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting.
He noted that the research funds would be paid to the universities alongside the school fees to avoid mismanagement by the beneficiaries.
The commissioner added that civil servants who sailed through the eligibility processes of the scholarship programme are to be granted study leave with pay in addition to other privileges.
According to him in order to ensure smooth take off of academic activities in the University of ICT, Oferekpe, Agbaja and Aeronautic Engineering University, Ezza, in the state, the Executive Council approved eight faculty and hostel buildings in the two new universities.
Okpor revealed that the Council equally approved the purchase of two fire fighting trucks for fire disaster following recent fire outbreak in some parts of the state.