COME Wednesday, November 18, all roads will literally lead to Eko FM Hall, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos, as R.O.O. Aponmade Foundation (ROOAF) and Nigeria Patriotism Project plan a public lecture titled: Still On Corruption: What Really Is The Value of A Good Name?
The forthcoming lecture is being organised as part of activities to mark the 50th birthday of Akeem Olaniyi Aponmade , an Ibadan, Oyo State-born anti-piracy crusader, intellectual property and human rights lawyer.
According to the organisers, the keynote address will be delivered by Toritseju A. Ejueyitchie, Managing Director, Premier Records and Chairman, International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI) Nigeria.
The organisers further disclosed that there would be contributions by other eminent personalities, including Prince Lanre Ogundipe, ex- President of Nigerian Union of Journalists; Alex Mouka, ex-Chairman, NBA, Lagos branch, and Prof. Kazeem A. Adebiyi, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, LAUTECH, Ogbomosho, Oyo State. The event will be chaired by Augustine Alegeh, SAN, President, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA.
Aponmade, who holds a B.Sc. in Political Science from the Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti (now Ekiti State University) and an LL.B in Law from the University of Lagos, Akoka, is the Principal Counsel, A.O. Aponmade & Co. Chambers. He is also the Director, R.O.O. Aponmade Foundation (ROOAF) and National Coordinator, IFPI, Nigeria.
The anti-piracy advocate, who was head of the combined offices of the two global record and movie industries, IFPI and MPA between 2005 and 2008, is also a consultant to various national and international organisations, including NCC, PMAN and Yoruba Video Film Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria, (YOVIFPMAN), COSON, among others.
An education-focused non-profit foundation, Dr Florence Bola Ala Foundation, has unveiled plans to build a multi-purpose, state-of-the-art auditorium, initially valued at N10 million, for the College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The Foundation was set up in memory of late Dr Florence Bola Ala, the first woman Dean of the College.
The foundation announced the plan to donate the N10 million auditorium at the 22nd convocation of the college while also presenting cash prize awards to deserving graduating students.
Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, praised the initiative and urged other individuals and organisations to emulate the foundation.
Fayose who is the visitor to the college, noted the need for support of well-meaning individuals and organisations for the development of education, while reiterating the commitment of his government to providing necessary resources to sustain the reputation of the state as a fountain of knowledge.
Handing over cash prize award of N20, 000 and book each to three students of the School of Education and Early childhood Care Education, Mr Abayomi Adeyeri, a member, board of trustees of the foundation, and chief marketing officer of Flobal Trust Limited, said the foundation was committed to partnering with the college in achieving its mandates.
Adeyeri said the foundation will sustain and build on the initial cash prize awards and further undertake significant special projects of value to the college, including the proposed auditorium to immortalise the late Dr Ala, who was his mother.
Registrar of the college, Mr Gbenga Ojo, wo received the prizes, appreciated the gesture and expressed the institution’s readiness to partner with the foundation.
Other dignitaries at the convocation were Chief Afe Babalola, Dr Ifeanyi Ubah, who was awarded a fellowship, the newly installed Ogoga of Ikere Ekiti, Oba Samuel Adu, and two members of board of trustees of the foundation, Mrs Omoefe Siakpere and Mr Olusoji Fagbemi.
Florence Bola Ala Foundation supports individuals in need, especially in the area of education.
Late Dr Ala started teaching at the tertiary level as an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Ibadan in 1981. She also taught at the Oyo State College of Education (1982- 1983) and the Ondo State University (1984-1987). She joined the services of Ondo State College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti between 1987 and 1990 and she was the first woman Dean there. She thereafter went to the University of Maiduguri in July 1990, where she was a Reader/Associate Professor, until her death.
The late Ala published more than 10 articles in reputable journals within and outside the country and has about 20 published books that she wrote or co-authored. Her numerous Nursery books published by Evans easily come to mind.
The Medicaid Cancer Foundation in collaboration with the Kebbi State government has carried out a free breast and cervical screening programme for 2000 women in the state.
The campaign started with an awareness walk led by the wife of the state governor Dr Zainab Atiku Bagudu. A consultant paediatrician, Dr Bagudu also initiated the foundation which has been in the forefront of cancer advocacy for seven years across the North.
Speaking at the occasion the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health Alhaji Atiku Kende stressed that every patient who tested positive during the exercise would be treated free by the state government.
He advised women to use the opportunity to disabuse their minds of cultural beliefs and stigma attached to cancer.
The governor’s wife assured women of the state that the foundation would continue the screening programme through the state. She called on radiologists and radiographer stop consider taking up employment with the state as it currently had none in its service despite having good equipments such as the mammography machine which some states do not possess.
She also encouraged medical students present at the occasion to go into the speciality more so as to fill up the gap. Over 2000 people attended the program which continues throughout the week across the state. Also in attendance were student bodies, NGOs, wives of Sole administrators, government officials etc.
In my first teaching, I showed you how to put God first in building a solid foundation for your family. I also taught you the key of agreement and how fulfilling your mutual obligations as a couple can sustain your home. However, if you have decided to make God first in your family and engage the keys of agreement and mutual obligations, you will also need to give your family quality time investment if you desire success in your home. That is why in this week’s edition, I will be teaching on Family Investments.
The Word of God says: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1). There must be time allocated for your family also. As a man, husband and father, you must ensure that regular time is scheduled for your family. As a woman, wife and mother, you must do all you can to make regular time available for your family.
Happy homes do not fall from the sky; they are made to happen and this is done with the effective use of time. Therefore, before you get carried away by your daily activities and turn your home to a place where you only eat, sleep and conclude outstanding office work, remember to make time for your family. Time can always be created out of ‘no time’ and though time may not necessarily be long enough, you can make even the little time you have, matter to your family.
The first person to consider in your family time investment is your spouse. Many couples have time for themselves within the first few weeks of marriage and afterwards never do. This becomes even worse when they start having children in the family. It is the reason many marriages that start off so sweetly, fail. Many couples, who think they know themselves, later discover that they really don’t. Investing family time with your spouse will help build trust, confidence, peace, knowledge and a better understanding in your relationship. It will help you know each other better.
There is nothing as hurting as when one party is neglected in a marriage. Many men just see their wives as a good cook, cleaner, mother of their children and keeper of the home. This is so, because family time has not been invested to know who their wives really are. 1 Peter 3:7 admonishes: Likewise, ye husbands dwell with them (wives) according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
Every man should invest enough time in order to be knowledgeable about his wife. He must spend quality time with his wife so much that he knows his wife’s taste for things like: toiletries, wears, colours and her likes, and dislikes. The woman, on the other hand, should invest enough quality time to know her husband’s taste for things too. She must be concerned about his well-being at work, business/career, his success and his professional accomplishments.
Usually, while a man craves for respect from his wife first and then others, the woman’s self-worth is in place when she is loved and appreciated, first by her husbands and then others.
Secondly, family time must be invested on children to meet their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. A child is a gift from God, a blessing to the family and a unique blend of husband and wife (Psalm 127:3). This is why time must also be created for them. This helps to build love, security and trust. The best environment to raise a child is at home and as parents, God mandates us to fulfill this task. Once you learn to order your priorities, you will discover that the time invested in meeting their needs will not be in vain. Therefore, invested quality family time in building a solid foundation for your child(ren). By so doing, when he or she leaves home to a place where you cannot see him or her physically, the knowledge of what was taught would become his or her guide. Invest regular time with them like play time, homework and assignment time. Be available to answer their questions and teach them to read the Word of God.Wives, if your husband is the busy type, use the wisdom of God to get him to create time for the children. Time is a very important thing you should invest on your children, not money. For instance, there was a time when our children would come to me with questions that I felt their father should hear and be the one to answer. I would walk them to his study door and leave them to go in and meet him. Afterwards, they would come back excited and smiling, having had their questions answered. Now, they can confidently go to him and freely share matters from their hearts. In fact, when they come into his study, he sets them at ease by asking: “How was school today? What did you do at break-time? Did you eat your school lunch?” This type of intimacy and open communication is very useful for their emotional stability. Finally, time should be invested for your parents, relations and in-laws but this should be done in wisdom and not at the expense of your immediate family.
The power to build a solid foundation for your family only comes from God. If you need this power, you must be born again. This is by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. If you are ready for this new birth experience, please say this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and Satan to serve the living God. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”If you prayed this simple prayer, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).
Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org; OR 07026385437 and 08141320204.
For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).
The Ibhawoh Foundation has announced the winners of its maiden essay competition titled: Strategies for addressing the challenges of funding higher education in Nigeria.
Speaking at an event organised to unveil the winners, Gerald Ibhawoh, the founder, said the initiative was a way of giving back to the society.
He said: “We all know the stress involved in passing through any higher institution in Nigeria. This is why the foundation has deemed it fit to encourage those who could differentiate themselves from the crowd.”
The ceremony, held at Protea Hotel in Benin City, was attended by members of the judges’ panel, facilitators and high-profile guests.
Joy Oboh, a 400-Level History and International Studies student, emerged winner of Ambrose Alli University (AAU) in Ekpoma category, while Ezekiel Efeobhokhan, a 500-Level Pharmacy student, won the University of Benin (UNIBEN) category.
Joy described the feat as a landmark achievement to her, saying the award would encourage her to participate in other contest that would improve her skill in writing. She said: “I really appreciate this opportunity given to me by the foundation to broaden my horizon in writing and research. I extensively carried out research in the course of the competition and I encourage other students to fully participate in subsequent competitions.”
While encouraging the winners to keep up the good work and face their studies, Ibhawoh said participating in academic contest was the best way students could sustain educational excellence.
He congratulated the winners for being ambassadors of the foundation, while advising them to be of good conduct to portray the foundation in good light.
“This competition is a yearly event and I encourage students to always participate in it to show their skills in writing and research. It took us rigorous process of scrutiny to select the two best articles among the brilliant works submitted,” he said.
There was excitement among the inhabitants of the ancient city of Badagry as they came out in droves to receive training in various skills. The Prime Women Builders Foundation of Nigeria (PWOBFON) had visited the town with its empowerment programme.
At the event entitled, “An Enterprising Heart,” over 2,000 people, mostly women were trained in vocational and skill acquisition schemes.
Apparently eager to break loose from the shackles of poverty, house wives;
pregnant women; nursing mothers; school leavers and unemployed youths participated in the PWOBFON’s 2015 empowerment day.
The early morning downpour did not deter the beneficiaries as they trooped to the local government council headquarters, Ajala, Badagry from different locations as early as 7:00 a.m., to be part of the one-day event which began with seminars in which the participants were taken through various vocational trainings.
Focal points of the first segment were training on tailoring; soap making; wireworks; cake baking/icing; ankara designing; barbeque; household items; popcorn production; headgear knotting; bleach making; air freshener production and computer training, among others.
The participants later came together for the second session of the programme which involved lectures and presentations by representatives of the participating companies who also educated the trainees on how to start their own businesses as agents and distributors of different products.
This was followed by lectures by business management experts who took the participants on entrepreneurial spirit.
Some of the major players in the manufacturing sector that participated in the event commended the organisers for their vision and commitment to poverty reduction and women empowerment. They also pledged their willingness to partner PWOBFON in its resolve to alleviate poverty among the people.
For instance, Lucky Fibres Plc, makers of Nobel rugs and carpets, praised the foundation for its vision, promising to do business with the women. It equally assured the participants that with N25, 000, they could do business with the company from their homes.
Other organisations that participated in this year’s empowerment day were Honeywell Flour Mill Plc; May &Baker’s Lily Water; Ozone Hair Relaxer; Klin Soap; Nipen Bic and Rite Foods, among others.
Over the years, PWOBFON had been rotating its annual empowerment day to different areas of Lagos State. Councils such as Ikeja, Alimosho, Ikorodu and Badagry had benefitted from previous programmes of the foundation.
•Mrs. Olofinkua addressing the participants
The National President of PWOBFON, Mrs. Kemi Olofinkua expressed the intention of the foundation to extend the empowerment programme to other states of the federation.
Fielding questions from journalists on the sideline of the event, Olofinkua called for concerted efforts towards poverty reduction in the society, warning that the current poverty situation in Nigeria portends grave danger to the country.
She argued that collaboration among government, individuals and organisations was necessary in reducing the rising poverty level in the society, stressing that some men have also benefitted from the foundation’s scheme.
“In the past years, we have seen men coming to our empowerment programmes; we don’t want to be seen as gender-partial. So, we decided to go on with the computer hardware training. It has been good because people are giving testimonies about this programme,” she said.
Obviously elated by the success of the event, Mrs. Olofinkua commended the beneficiaries for their zeal and determination to creep out of the poverty ditch by embracing the training in their thousands.
She said: “Today’s event is quite different from what we have been having in the past. It is quite different because for the first time, we saw great zeal among the participants. We ended the vocational training and started the second part which is the corporate session, yet the people refused to leave the vocational training.
“And for the first time, I saw some children being desirous to do things by themselves. We witnessed a little child exhibiting creativity and the ability to do beadwork, I was impressed and I have promised them that we will come back to this local government to encourage them to realise that they can no longer rely on white collar jobs for their financial future.
“Younger children that are less that 15 years old indicated interest in learning so many crafts such as bead making, shawama and other skills.
It really elated my heart. The turnout was great; people came all the way from Ikorodu and other locations to participate in the programme. People really need this empowerment.
“They need to be talked to, they need to be trained. We have done it in different local governments and each time we go out, we see people trooping out to be part of the programme.
“For example, people gathered here before the scheduled time thereby demonstrating their willingness to learn how to break away from poverty which is holding them down.
The PWOBFON’s boss said the foundation has been sponsoring the annual empowerment project solely despite the huge financial implications, stressing that she is being driven by the passion to see women empowered. She urged the various tiers of government to take poverty alleviation seriously for the good of the society. Mrs. Olofinkua said she was satisfied in what she is doing for the good of the society notwithstanding the financial constraint.
“Only God has been sustaining this empowerment programme. With the exception of this year, for the past seven years, I have been writing the governments each year concerning this programme but there hasn’t been any positive response. But we are not bothered about this.
“Government should realise that people actually need this empowerment. We have been using our money to fund this project but we are not tired. This is an annual programme and I am already thinking about the next year’s event.
“We have gotten an invitation to do vocational training in secondary school for the students. So, we are already thinking about how to catch these children young. Also, we are targeting the professionals who have indicated interest in this training. The vision is expanding and we are happy doing what we are doing.”
One of the resource persons, Mr. Lanre Da-silva, praised the foundation and commended Mrs. Olofinkua for her determination to pull many people out of the poverty line.
Da-silver said: “Each time I come, I sincerely wonder how she gets the crowd because the people keep coming. I have been with her to Ikeja Local Government Area; I have been with her to Alimosho Local Government Area and Ikorodu Local Government Area and now in Badagry and the people keep coming. That tells me that many people in the society need empowerment. It is an indication that so many people live below the poverty line and all they need to come up and get a regular income is just to tell them the right things to do.
“Many women and young people keep coming to this event, so I am not surprised. She (Mrs. Olofinkua) is passionate with what she is doing and I wish that the corporate organisations should partner this woman in what she is doing as part of their own corporate social responsibilities where they can add value to the lives of these women in a small way.”
One of the PWOBFON advisers, Rev. Emmanuel Olofinkua praised God for sustaining the programme since its inception seven years ago. According to him, the event was the expression of the desires and vision which God has laid in the heart of the organisers towards the people.
“It is a thing of joy. But it is highly taxing because the work that we are doing is not something that we are paid by somebody or a venture that we are paid back. Again, many of the people that we used for this programme are volunteers; we thank God for those that He has used to make this vocational training a huge success,” he said.
He called for concerted efforts to tackle unemployment in the country, saying: “Unemployment is increasing on an alarming rate. You have many graduates roaming the streets without job. Those that are able to get jobs are on contract appointments; they are not sure of permanent appointments, no hope for the future. “It wasn’t like that before and it calls for caution. I wonder how far the government’s poverty alleviation has impacted on the masses. But I can say that it has not really achieved anything. But with what we have done here today, I can testify that for over the years, some of the people that have come in contact with this programme are now doing fine.
“Some of them are now successful bead makers, others are soap makers and they no longer depend on anybody to make ends meet. So, this is something I think that our government should look into.”
Some of the beneficiaries also testified that the programme has been a tremendous blessing to them. Mrs. Ekwuagana Oluchi Rosalyn told journalists that her life has been transformed since she came in contact with the foundation. She, therefore, advised other women to embrace the empowerment programme for their financial freedom.
“I have been following them every year and for me to come all the way from Iyana-Ipaja is an indication that I love what they are doing.
“My advice goes to women who call themselves housewives. There is nothing like housewives again because one can do things even in her one room apartment. It can be soap making, hand-washing soap or other things. She will sell whatever she produces because Lagos is the cheapest place to live in Nigeria,”she said.
The Dangote Foundation has promised to step up its advocacy campaign against preventable diseases in the country.
This followed report that an estimated 124,000 children under the age of four years are dying annually due to poor sanitation,
The foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Zuoera Youssoufou, gave this promise in a message she sent to the Community Staff School, venue of the demonstration of the United Nation’s Global Hand Washing Day observed in Abuja in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and other organisations like the United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF) and Water Aids.
She lamented that Nigeria was still contributing so much to the number of children deaths recorded globally, owing to poor sanitation and described the situation as unacceptable.
Mrs. Youssoufou stated that the foundation had already planned to scale up it advocacy and intervention in the preventable deaths, owing to equally preventable diseases such as poor sanitation, hunger and malnutrition, diarrhoea, cholera and dysentery.
The Foundation boss explained that it was in realisation of the factor of hygiene and good sanitation in the prevention of these avoidable deaths that made the United Nation to set aside a day to mark the Hand Washing Day to demonstrate and encourage the children on the need to always wash their hands and maintain good sanitation so as to stay healthy.
She said a situation where the nation is losing her children to preventable deaths would not augur well for the development of the country in future because the rank of the children on whose shoulders the task of the development lie would have been depleted.
Said she: “Children are change agents and that is why we have to target them to ensure they stay healthy for the betterment of our society. Our partnership with the Federal Ministry of Water resources on this demonstration of globally accepted hand washing methods was in furtherance of our believe in focusing more on the health of our children.”
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr. Musa Istifanus, said the hand washing campaign was introduced to reduce childhood mortality rates relating to respiratory, diarrhoea and other related diseases by introducing simple behavioural change of hand wash with soap.
The UNICEF Country Representative, Kannan Nadar, pointed out that a survey carried out recently indicated that in six states, 53 per cent of the children don’t wash hands after defecation, which, he said, was “a great disincentive to the campaign for proper sanitation among the children”.
Welcome to yet another time in God’s presence. In my first teaching, I showed you how to put God first in building a solid foundation for your family. Last week, I taught on the Key Of Agreement and this week, I will be teaching on Fulfilling Your Mutual Obligations.
In building a solid foundation for your family, it is a must that you fulfill your mutual obligations. When I say ‘mutual obligations,’ I mean romance, affection, intimacy and sexual relationship that should be fulfilled in your marriage. God’s idea of procreation establishes the coming together of husband and wife. The Word of God says: Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband (1Corinthians 7:1-5).
Many homes are broken today because couples lack the understanding of this concept. The moment a home becomes deficient in marital affairs or romance, it will begin to break. Sexual relationship is God’s approved channel for procreation and pleasure. Everything done against it by either the husband or the wife is targeted at the ruin of the home. The Word of God says: And Adam knew Eve his wife; and conceived and bare Cain… (Genesis 4:1). This means that Adam had marital sex with his wife and she conceived.
Proverbs 5:18-19 says: Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love. God intended that couples fulfill their mutual obligations for procreation and pleasure. He created the necessary organs and feelings in you, so that this commandment can be fulfilled. Fulfilling your mutual obligations with a wholesome approach to it will heal many wounds in homes today. Statistics show that families where the husband and wife enjoy each other sexually are the happiest homes. “For the breasts of a man’s wife to satisfy him,” means that the two of them have pleasure in marital sex.
Someone once said that probably more fraud is practised in marriage than in any other area of life. This is because at the request of sex, you hear many husbands and wives give excuses such as: “Not now! I have a headache.” “Why don’t you think about something else for a change?” “I am too tired” or “I am too busy.”
Not fulfilling your mutual obligation is marital fraud and every act of marital fraud is an offence. It rubs the homes of glory and beauty. When you fulfill your mutual obligations, you will find out that every act of love expressed becomes the engine oil that keeps your marriage running smoothly. It also successfully blocks any loopholes that might give the enemy a foothold in your marriage. When mutual obligations are fulfilled, the husband and wife will both be satisfied and their level of productivity in other areas will be at its maximum! A man can withstand any shortcoming in a marriage like: “She can’t cook,” “She’s too fat,” “She’s not submissive,” “She’s not even a Christian.” But, he will not be able to stay with a wife who does not fulfill her mutual obligations. Behind every separation or divorce is a breakdown in either party fulfilling his or her mutual obligations.
After the solemnization of a marriage, the rules of abstaining from sex as singles, engaged or in courtship ends. Sex is no longer forbidden; if anything, it becomes an essential part of the union. However, the marriage bed can be defiled by the married, when adultery is committed by the man or the woman. God’s Word in Hebrews 13:4 says: Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Adultery opens the door for God’s judgment and causes you to lose your spouse’s respect, and honour that was originally meant for marriage.
Rather than been caught in the web of adultery, make yourself available for your spouse and fulfill your mutual obligations. You may just need to go back to those little acts of love you used to do, when you first got married: those sweet things that made your honeymoon exciting. You might need to start treating your spouse a lot more lovingly: doing whatever is necessary to ensure the fulfillment of your mutual obligations. You will not fall into any of the enemy’s trap in Jesus’ name!
Without God you cannot build a foundation for your family. As such, you need to surrender your life to the Lord Jesus Christ today and be born again. You can say this prayer if you wish to do so: “Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. Deliver me from sin and Satan to serve the living God. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.”
If you prayed this simple prayer, you are now a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).
Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through contact@faithoyedepo.org; OR 07026385437 and 08141320204.
For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).
Engineer Sunday Babalola Foundation (ESBF), has splashed N2 million worth of scholarships on about 102 indigent students of post primary and tertiary institutions of Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The award, which is the first of its kind, will be on a continuous basis, said Babalola, the founder of the foundation.
Speaking during the presentation of cash and cheques to beneficiaries in Omu-Aran, Babalola, an engineer, said:”We are starting from this community (Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government), later to other local governments. If we can, we will extend it to the state level. Good students were selected by their principals, they applied and were interviewed.”
He used the occasion to call on corporate bodies, donors, philanthropists and humanitarian organisations to advance education in Nigeria through improved investment.
“The award of scholarship to students of secondary and tertiary institutions is for me a fulfillment of my dream and desire to contribute my quota to the educational advancement and upliftment of students in my locality.
“It is a truism that education growth is the springboard for societal advancement. So the falling standard of education in the country causes my heart to bleed. Gone appears to have been the days when students took interest in academic competitions. Many of them are today engrossed with internet and video pornography to the detriment of their educational growth.
“Many of them have, therefore, become willing tools for insurgency, kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes and so become threats to societal peace and wellbeing,” he said.
As part of activities marking its 13th year, the Aart of Life Foundation will hold a one-day symposium on Grief and Trauma counselling on October 15 at the Reiz Continental Hotel, Abuja.
Prof. David Ndetei of the Nairobi University, Kenya, is to give the keynote speech on Developing a Framework for Disaster Management in Africa: the Nairobi experience and the Nigerian Challenge.
Established in September 2002 by Mrs. Taiwo Taiwo, the foundation offers free, confidential counselling and support services to trauma victims and is looking to partnering the Federal Government to meet the growing need for trauma counselling, especially among victims of the Boko Haram insurgency.
“We believe that grief, trauma and the management of these, especially with the relentless terror attacks and insurgencies, must be addressed if we are to achieve our aspirations for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable Nigeria.
“It has become imperative that we create a rallying point for stakeholders, which includes the government, to set an agenda for rapid and effective intervention for the grieving, hence the rationale behind the symposium.
“Providing relief to victims of extreme violence is not only
about giving prosthetic limbs and hands, what happens to those who lost their minds to the crisis? We should ask ourselves what we can do with these sets of people. How do you threat them?
“Our initiative, the first in Nigeria, has championed grief and trauma counseling and support since the inception of the foundation thirteen years ago”
“The Aart of Life Foundation has created a trauma-focused network of care that improves access to treatment, help identify victims who have been exposed to adverse events, and create a trauma-informed system of care for them,” Mrs. Taiwo said.
