The Nigerian Army has unveiled plans to facilitate the screening and verification process for the education sponsorship of children whose parents served in the army and have unfortunately passed away. The initiative is set to cover the 2023/2024 academic session, and the army released an official statement on Wednesday outlining the details.
Scheduled to occur in Abuja from January 29 to March 29, 2024, at the Army Headquarters Command Officers Mess 1 Asokoro, Abuja, the screening and verification process aims to identify and support the education of the offspring of deceased personnel.
In the statement, the army clarified that the education sponsorship program is a key aspect of its welfare schemes, designed to ensure primary, secondary, and tertiary education for the children of military personnel who lost their lives in active service.
Prospective applicants for the program, including new candidates, those upgrading their educational levels, and those who missed the 2022–2023 Screening and Verification Exercise, are expected to participate in this essential process to secure sponsorship funds for the upcoming academic session.
To streamline the application and verification procedures, the army will communicate the screening and verification dates to applicants through Short Message Service (SMS).
The Nigerian Army has specified a set of documents necessary for the screening and verification process. These include a handwritten application for sponsorship listing the names of the children, a letter of admission for the beneficiary, the last school report card/results of the beneficiary, a confirmation letter from the educational institution stating the child’s enrollment, a birth certificate for the beneficiary, and a death certificate for the deceased personnel.
Additional requirements include orders of publication of death, condolence letters, notification of casualties (NOTICAS) signals, the completed Nigerian Army Application for Sponsorship form from the last unit and formation headquarters of the deceased personnel, four recent passport photographs of the beneficiaries, passport photographs of the deceased personnel, bank account numbers and sort codes, and the telephone number of the surviving parent or administrator of the beneficiary.