Twenty-one Nigerian undergraduates across the country have benefited from the Guinness Nigeria PLC’s 2021 scholarship scheme.
The company’s Corporate Affairs Director, Mr Rotimi Odusola, said this when British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Nigeria, Ben Llewellyn-Jones, paid a courtesy visit to the company’s site in Benin, on Friday.
Odusola said the annual Guinness Nigeria Scholarship scheme was to encourage students, especially from host communities, who were studying courses related to the company’s business to do better in their academics.
He said that the 21 undergraduates from tertiary institutions in the country were given N100,000 cash award each, under the 2021 scholarship scheme.
The corporate affairs director said that the British deputy high commissioner’s visit to the site and participation in the scholarship presentation was remarkable.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Odusola said the company also extended its corporate social responsibility to many communities through provision of potable water, empowerment schemes and eye care programmes.
He said that Guinness Nigeria had continued to create jobs through direct employment of 800 staff, support for over 100,000 jobs in its value chain and source of livelihood to over 77,000 sorghum farmers.
Odusola said that the Edo Internal Revenue Service recently wrote a letter of commendation to Guinness Nigeria PLC, Benin office, for its compliance to tax payment.
Speaking to NAN after the visit, Llewellyn-Jones commended Guinness Benin office for its strides in the state and the country generally.
“Guinness Nigeria Benin is a big employer, tax payer and it is contributing massively to the state and country.
“It is a British business, and we are keen that it gets all the support it can, so it can grow, expand and continue to supply jobs in Nigeria.
“We are impressed with the team and its management style and we are really supportive of its future”.
He assured of the commission’s support in addressing the challenges affecting the activities of the company in Nigeria.
Two of the beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme, Master Richard Eromosele, and Master Larry Eguasa, from the company’s host community in Benin, Oregbeni, commended the company for its support to their academic pursuit. (NAN)
