• As 20-Year-Old Emerges Overall Best
BY PATRICK MGBODO
20-Year-Old Pharmacy student of the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, Deborah Olisemeke has emerged the overall best candidate in the 2025 edition of the Monday Onyeme Foundation Scholarship examination.
Miss Olisemeke, who scored 56 out of 60, was announced as the overall best candidate at the end of the Aptitude Test for the Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency, which involved 476 shortlisted candidates.
Out of the 476 shortlisted candidates, 342 sat for the examination, which was held at Dennis Osadebey University (DOU), Asaba, with 225 candidates successful in the exercise.
At the end of the exercise in the three federal constituencies, 683 students got the scholarship; 308 in Ndokwa/Ukwuani, 150 in Ika and 225 in Aniocha/Oshimili.
The examinations commenced on Friday in Agbor, which was the venue for the Ika Federal Constituency, while Ndokwa/Ukwuani Federal Constituency followed on Saturday and Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency concluded the exercise yesterday in Asaba.
Addressing the students, Delta State Deputy Governor, Sir Monday Onyeme, said the outcome in Aniocha/Oshimili was encouraging when compared to last year’s results.
‘’We are recording improvements. This year, the total number of students who qualified in the three federal constituencies (Delta North senatorial district) is 683. This is higher than that of last year, when we had 534.
‘’It is also a very interesting one because the overall highest scorers (first, second and third positions) came from Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency’’ Sir Onyeme said, adding that the top highest scorers were picked from each of the federal constituencies, who would get additional rewards.
As a result, the overall best candidate in the exams, Miss Deborah Olisemeke, will get a total of N600,000, while the two second-best candidates who scored 55 will get N500,000 each and the two third position candidates with a score of 54 will get N400,000.
Addressing journalists at the end of the exercise, Sir Onyeme said he was impressed by the conduct, participation and general outcome of the tests in the three federal constituencies.
‘’I congratulate the successful students. In addition to the cash reward, it is also a way of encouraging our students to be competitive because in life, they will face a lot of competition. This was why we instituted this aptitude test.
‘’To those who were not successful, it is for them to put more effort into their studies and more effort into their preparation. If you put in more efforts, hopefully next year, they too will excel’’ the deputy governor said.
Speaking with The Pointer, the overall best candidate, Miss Deborah Olisemeke, expressed gratitude to the Deputy Governor and the Monday Onyeme Foundation, adding that, having come in third place last year, she aspired to be among the best this year and worked hard for it to come true.
