By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu
Lawmaker representing Enugu North and South federal constituency, Representative (Chief) Chimaobi Atu, has described educational empowerment as the most powerful legacy to bequeath the younger generation.
Rep Atu took the position on Sunday, February 23, while inaugurating a newly-constructed block of six classrooms at Coal Camp Primary School, Ogbete, Enugu facilitated by him through collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He noted that education would not only prepare the younger generation for the future but also for the global challenge the future would throw at them.
“We are equipping our children to get ready for future challenges through massive and continuous investment in education across every level and dimension and this will make them stand out in all they do, as the world is a global village.
“Recently, I also renovated the Chemistry Laboratory at the Department of Industrial Chemistry, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), where I graduated from.
“This upgrade provides students with improved facilities for practical learning, enhancing the quality of education in the Sciences,” he said.
The lawmaker, however, urged the pupils, teachers and school authorities of Coal Camp Primary School to put the classrooms and the accompanying amenities to judicious use, while also protecting them from vandals.
Rep Atu noted that through the Chimaobi Sam Atu Foundation (C-SAF), in 2024 he awarded scholarships covering West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and school fees payments to over 106 underprivileged but brilliant Senior Secondary (SS)-3 students from 24 public secondary schools in his constituency.
He added that in 2025, no fewer than 245 top performers among SS-2 students in a test conducted by a scholarship board headed by Dr. Chidi Ezinwa (Head of Department of Mass Communication Department, ESUT) received full coverage for WAEC and school fees.
Atu said that additionally, the top students in Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination would receive full tertiary education scholarships, ensuring continuity in their academic pursuits.
“Through the C-SAF Foundation, we have also provided scholarship to primary 6 pupils entering Unity Schools in 2024 and 2025 as well as providing scholarship to some university students within my constituency.
“I have a passion that no willing and capable student in Enugu North and Enugu South federal constituency will be denied an education due to financial difficulties.
“The C-SAF scholarship initiative is inclusive, providing support regardless of political affiliation, family background, or personal connections,” he said.
Responding, a community leader in Coal Camp, Chief Paulinus Ani, appreciated Rep Atu for the gesture, assuring the lawmaker that the community members would join in protecting the new classroom block and its facilities.
It would be recalled that Coal Camp Primary School, Ogbete, was originally built by colonialists in 1924; however, the school’s infrastructure had severely deteriorated over the century before the infrastructure intervention by Atu.
