The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Foundation

  • Foundation donates lavatory block to school

    Foundation donates lavatory block to school

    Touched by the unsavoury sanitary conditions which pupils and teachers of Eziama Community Primary School in Aba North Local Government Area of Abia State are experiencing, members of Inner Heart PZ Employees Foundation, a staff welfare association of PZ Cussons, have built and handed over a four-room toilet facility to the school management.

    They also handed over the sum of N390, 000 cheque to Mr. Chika Kalu Sampson, a staff of the establishment for the treatment of his four-year-old daughter, Princess Chika Kalu who has a hole in the heart.

    The inauguration and handing over of the toilet facility which attracted the presence of some senior managers of the company such as the External Affairs Manager, Mohammed Tahir; Operations Manager, Emma Ofordu as well as representatives of the host community and the chairman of the Aba North Local Government Area, among others, made both pupils and teachers jubilate in appreciation of the gesture.

    Speaking during the inauguration of the toilet facility, the Manager, Corporate Affairs and Administration Director, PZ Cussons Nigeria, Mrs. Yomi Ifaturoti, said the project was realised through contributions from salaries of members of staff.

    Ifaturoti further revealed that the Inner Heart Foundation was conceptualised by the Corporate Affairs Department of the company that felt that there was a need for workers to do things by themselves than waiting for the management or government to do things for them.

    She said: “It is important for us to know that the project we are inaugurating today was built from the pocket of PZ employees. It is not easy for workers to generate N650, 000 to carry out this project for our own community. We are impressed with what the Inner Heart PZ Employees Foundation, Aba has done.  “There are different departments in the company doing various projects for communities around the country. There is a need for us to continue to do good things for our communities and neighbours because we must always look towards doing things for the people.”

    Urging private organisations’ participation in the development of their host communities or state, she added: “Don’t forget that if we didn’t carry out this project, or if we had depended on the government, it may never have been done.”

    Also speaking, Head of Manufacturing, PZ Cussons, Aba, Mr. Ifeanyi Abadom, said the Inner Heart PZ Foundation would continue to offer support to its neighbours, especially to enable them to be useful citizens in the society. He added that the foundation would not hesitate to help mold the future of our school children to the best of its ability.

    Earlier in her address, the Headmistress of the school, Mrs. Evelyn Iroha, who expressed gratitude to the Inner Heart PZ Foundation for coming to the aid of the school, promised that the facility would be well maintained.

    Chairman, PZ Cussons Staff Union, Prince Nwaeze Dimkpa, thanked the management and workers of the company as well as the host community for the support.

    “We all contributed to make this project a success; the management, staff, school and host community. I specially thank the people of Eziama because there are many communities where this project cannot be carried out without them asking for a percentage of funds to be paid before work could begin.”

    Hon. Nnanna Oriba, who represented the Chairman of Transition Committee, Aba North Local Government at the event, expressed his happiness to the employees’ for their generosity. He enjoined the school to make good use of the facility.

    “I felt sad when I learnt that the project was not done with money from the company but from the purses of its staff. This is why I rendered the song; give and it shall be given unto you. This is highly commendable. You have shown love to these school children; you can see from their faces that they have already blessed you.

    “As far as they have said it, God has also blessed you all. I am going to let the chairman know that we have to work with you because you have good things to offer to humanity,” he said.

    Earlier, a cheque for N290, 000 was handed over to Mr. Chika Kalu Sampson by the Inner Heart Foundation whose daughter, Princess has a hole in the heart and needed about N2 million for surgery in an Indian hospital.

    Ifaturoti also made a personal donation of a N100, 000 in support of Princess Chika’s treatment.

    “We presented the cheque to him as a symbol of solidarity. We offer our prayers and goodwill for her well-being,” she said.

    Mr. Samson expressed gratitude to the foundation for its support. He said the donation will go a long way in complementing the amount of money he has for her daughter’s surgery in India which costs N1.6 million.

  • Foundation empowers teens with ICT skills

    Foundation empowers teens with ICT skills

    In its quest to build the skills set of teenagers in the area of information and communication technology, Working to Advance Science and Technology Education for African Woman (WAAW), a nonprofit, nongovernmental organisation, organised a capacity building workshop for public and private secondary school girls.

    Justifying the need for the workshop, its Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Mrs. Unoma Okoroafor, said the foundation is committed to ensuring that every young girl is adequately empowered through the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme, a one-week long camp meeting aimed at training, mentoring and inspiring secondary school girls to explore science-related careers.

    Besides, Dr. Unoma noted that the camp objective is to ensure that girls think of science and technology as a tool to innovate and enable real problem-solving in their respective communities.

    She further said that the foundation provides scholarships to girls in African schools who demonstrate verifiable financial need and maintain excellent academic records, so that when they become WAAW fellows, they would in turn give back to their respective communities either by launching a STEM outreach cell or organising outreach initiatives geared at mentoring younger girls.

    Echoing similar sentiments, Ms. Frances Sloun, the Operations Director from St. Thomas University Minnesota, said the STEM camp is specifically for girls for the advancement of science and technology in Africa, adding that the girls have been able to explore computer programmes on many different platforms like renewable energy and how it works, climate change and other science-related topics.

    Sloun also said Africa does not need to import to do technology because everything is right here for them to use, citing the story of a young Malawian boy, who through scraps and metals was able to build a wind turbine for his community without even attending school. She further urged the girls to share with others what they have learnt from the STEM camp.

  • Foundation to honour dividend-paying companies

    The Board of Trustees of Bodmas Foundation has announced the commencement of the yearly presentation of dividend payment awards [DP-AWARDS] to the Nigeria’s listed company in the Nigeria capital market, the Board Chairperson, Dame Priscilla Kuye, has said

    The board and management of the DP-Awards said they would track records of dividend payments by all Nigeria’s listed companies on yearly basis and add up each listed company’s record cumulatively for the awards, adding that the awards consideration begins from a company’s year of listing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as published in any edition of their annual report

    The Board Chairperson, Dame Kuye emphasised that the DP-Awards are being given to the listed companies as rewards for growing investors wealth through dividend payments and also for contributing to the growth of the Nigeria economy through their positive turnovers that resulted into dividend payment

    Kuye said: “The awards shall enlighten the Nigerian public to the massive wealth pool that dividend payments constitute for investors in Nigerian capital market every year as we would publish every details of dividends payment achieved by each listed company in Nigeria to their shareholders beginning from the start of the Nigeria stock exchange”

    She noted that “Annual dividends payment by the Nigeria’s listed companies account for a significant national wealth pool outside the government and is invariably turned over to the larger Nigeria population by the beneficiary-investors through their numerous economic activities in tne Nigerian economy.The annual DP-Awards presentation shall afford the public the opportunity of measuring the annual sizes of this great wealth pool”

    Kuye assured the public, particularly the stakeholders in the Nigeria capital market of the ability of Bodmas foundation to present each edition of DP-Awards with utmo st diligence and solicited the cooperation of the stakeholders in the onerous task

  • Foundation holds sports clinic

    The Big Mike Foundation hosted over 3,000 school children during its yearly sport clinic tagged “The Big Mike Sports Clinic” at the National Stadium, Abuja.

    Speaking at the event, chairman of the foundation, Chief Chike Erokwu, said the objective of the clinic was to keep children active and also mentor them to become good leaders through sports.

    Erokwu said: “Everybody knows that the children hold the future of the nation.  They are our tomorrow; but nobody is thinking about them. The foundation believes in sponsoring and supporting the Nigerian children. We are here to empower the children tech them the right values and how to be leaders through sports.

    “We have Big Mike Football Club which we started last year. The club sponsors and helps talents. If we see someone that has talent but does not have backing, we assist in promoting that talent.”

    The coordinator of the event, Mr stephen Osadebay, said the foundation, which is in the partnership with the National sports commission (NSC) and Ministry of Youth and Affairs, would sponsor talent picked from the event.

  • Foundation lifts communities,the less-privileged

    Foundation lifts communities,the less-privileged

    Today being his birthday, instead of Comrade Ogah partying with friends and family at home, he decided to spend it with the less-privileged in his community.”

    Those were the words of Senator Emmanuel Onwe while inaugurating a 300KVA transformer at Amagu Ikwo in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

    The transformer was one of the new projects executed and donated to various communities in Ikwo Local Government Area by Comrade Chinedu Ogah (OON), founder of Chiboy Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) as part of activities to mark his 38th birthday.

    Ogah, who was accompanied by former Senator representing Ebonyi Central, Senator Emmanuel Onwe, former member representing Ohaozara/Ivo/Onicha Federal Constituency, Darlington Okereke, top government functionaries at the state and local government levels toured round the council to inaugurate the projects executed by his foundation.

    The projects carried out and donated to various individuals and communities were two 300KVA transformers in Agubia Ikwo and Igwelodohia Amagu Ikwo, three boreholes and two town halls and cultural centres, among others.

    He also donated 200 bags of cement for the building of a modern town hall in Nwakpu Alike community to be named after the state governor, Martin Elechi.

    Receiving the team at Nwakpu Alike, a community leader and proprietor of the famous Folks Technical College Ikwo, Chief Francis Igwe described Comrade Ogah as a peacemaker who has brought peace to Ndufu-Alike and the entire Ikwo Local Government Area.

    Leaving Nwakpu Alike community after inaugurating the projects, the team moved to St Theresa’s Catholic Church for the inauguration of a borehole after which a 300KVA transformer was inaugurated at Agubia community.

    Comrade Ogah described the community as the engine room of Ikwo politics, stressing that the provision of the transformer was a fulfilment of a promise he made to the community in 2011.

    After the inaugurating the project at Agubia community, the team proceeded to Igwelodoha-Amagu where another 300KVA transformer was also inaugurated in addition to a mini-bridge known as Apina which was also inaugurated to ease the suffering of the people of the area who have been having trouble crossing the river.

    At Ohatekwe, a borehole and a town hall executed by the foundation was inaugurated, even as a medical team was on ground to give free medical treatment to members of the community.

    Comrade Ogah explained that the free medical treatment was simultaneously ongoing at three different locations in the area.

    Another town hall and borehole was also inaugurated at Ndiofoke-Amagu by the team after which it proceeded to Item-Amagu cultural centre for the grand finale of the event.

    At Item-Amagu cultural centre, 20 wheelchairs were given to the physically challenged while six motorcycles were given out to some youths to empower them, while one Mr. Friday Nnabu was given a Toyota L300.

    Also, 35 sewing machines were given out to women who have been trained in fashion designing.

    The widows in the area were not left out as they received 100 bags of rice, wrappers, and cash.

    Speaking at the event, Comrade Ogah revealed that the foundation was determined to give hope to the hopeless and to inspire those that want to be inspired.

    He also disclosed that his foundation has secured job opportunities for members of the community in both the state and federal civil service, including recruitment of 215 youths into the Nigerian Police in the last recruitment exercise with the help of the governor.

    “We have, in the past, built 120 bungalows for widows in the state among other achievements.

    “What matters in life is the legacy one left behind. That is why I preferred to celebrate with the less-privileged people in order to alleviate their suffering as much as we can. We have no choice but to help them,” he said.

  • Foundation donates bus to UNILAG

    Foundation donates bus to UNILAG

    The Founder/Chief Promoter of Omo Ilu Foundation, Prince Kashamu Buruji, has donated a brand new 18-seater bus to the Department of English, University of Lagos.

    The 2014 model bus, which has been officially presented to the university, was received by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Rahamon A. Bello, along with principal and top officials of the university, such as: Deputy Vice-Chancellor DVC (Academic & Research), Prof. Babajide Alo; DVC  (Management Service), Prof. Duro Oni; Registrar, Dr. Taiwo Folasade Ipaye; Bursar, Mr. Lateef Odekunle and Librarian, Dr. Olukemi Fadehan.

    Others who witnessed the presentation were the Provost, College of Medicine, Prof. Folashade Ogunsola; Director, Academic Planning, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe; Director, Quality Assurance & Servicom, Prof. Wale Okunuga and Director, Works and Physical Planning, Dr. Adelere Adeniran.

    Speaking at the presentation, the general/media adviser to the Kashamu, Mr. Austin Oniyokor, said the donation is borne out of Kashamu’s strong desire to give back to his alma mater and contribute to Nigeria’s education sector. He thanked authorities of the university for providing the opportunity for the foundation to support it.

    Prof Bello expressed gratitude to Prince Kashamu for the gesture, describing it as the kind of support needed to keep the university as a first-class tertiary institution.

    While urging other alumni of the university to emulate Kashamu, Bello reiterated his administration’s commitment to sustaining the reputation of the institution as a centre for excellence in teaching, learning and research.

  • Foundation’s $10,000 for LASU’s best

    The Oba Adeniji Adele Foundation is set to unfold a scholar grant, an intervention of not less than $10,000 that will be given annually to the Best Graduating Student of the Lagos State University (LASU) to pursue a post graduate course in any institution of the beneficiary’s choice.

    The announcement was made during a briefing in Lagos to unfold the grant in commemoration of the 50th remembrance anniversary of the of Lagos monarch Oba Adeniji Adele. Oba Musendiq Adeniji-Adele was the 19th monarch of Lagos who reigned between  1949 to July 1964.

    Daughter to the late monarch Princess Kudirat Adele-Sanyaolu, who spoke in Lagos described the grant as epochal and reflective of the person of Oba Adele who in his lifetime was a disciplinarian and visionary traditional ruler, and whose works and deeds cherished the pursuit of academic excellence. Adele-Sanyaolu said her father did everything to propagate the gospel of well rounded education not only within his family but also in the larger Lagos Isale Eko community.

    She said the grant will be launched on Saturday July 12th of July and be managed by the foundation.

    The general secretary of the foundation, Prince Sanmi Babatunde Adele, said the grant is to encourage students who are performing well and inspires others towards attaining excellence.

  • Childhood cancer is real, Foundation says

    Pupils from eight schools in Lagos State sang at a childhood cancer awareness programme organised by the Children Living With Cancer Foundation (CLWCF) last Saturday.

    CLWCF’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mrs Nneka Nwaobi,  said the event, which held at the Avicenna Schools, Ikeja, was organised to teach the pupils about cancer in order for them to spread the news to others.

    Mrs Nwaobi said teaching young ones about the disease is more effective than talking to the adults, who she noted tend to spiritualise things. She said the rate of the illness is becoming alarming and some parents are not bold enough to talk about it.

    “We are creating awareness to get children to understand that children do have cancer. We are using the children because most adults in Nigeria are just ignorant to learn about childhood cancer or any bad thing at all. So, because of that we decided to go through the children believing that when they are informed they would communicate it with their parents.

    “I know a parent who has not told his relatives that his child has cancer and most parents that we deal with think that it is spiritual; something that they need church or native doctor’s assistance to tell them who is behind it,” she said.

    By enlightening the pupils, Mrs Nwaobi said she hopes they would learn to be charitable rather than stigmatise children with the illness.

    She said the prevalent type of cancers in children include leukemia;  cancer of the kidney; neuroblastoma; cancer of the bone, while cancer of the ovary is rare.

    She said early diagnosis makes managing the disease easier.

    “Unfortunately, it is not like adult cancer where you would say that there are pre-diposing factors such as drinking or smoking and some other things. In children, the youngest I have seen is six weeks old, so how do you tell the parents to prevent that. The most important thing is the screening and coming in early and then knowing that there is a cure at the end. Most of the ones we have cured came in early while those we have lost came in late and a few of them had mixed diagnosis,” she said.

  • Varsity research Foundation gives grants to groups

    Varsity research Foundation gives grants to groups

    The University of Ibadan Research Foundation (UI-RF), has awarded a collaborative research grant of N10 million to be disbursed over  three years to seven research groups within the university.

    The groups will focus on four thematic areas- agriculture, energy, health and water resources.

    The leaders of the groups are: Dr. Omolade Oladele; Prof. James Olopade; Prof. E.O Agbedana; Prof. A.A Aiyelari; Prof. Adeboye Olatunbosun; Dr. Abiodun Claudius-Cole and Prof. Moshood Tijani.

    In his opening remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan (UI), Prof. Isaac Adewole, said the UI-RF marks an important chapter in the evolution of the university as a research intensive institution, adding that it highlights the dedicated effort at providing support for research as a platform to realise the university’s vision.

    The university, he said, has created UI-RF with an important overarching objective, which is to provide unique opportunities for the staff to participate in interdisciplinary, leading-edge research funded by the university as well as international funding agencies.

    Prof. Adewole said: “The expectation is that efforts of the UI-RF in meeting these objectives will enable individual staff member to be more responsive to states and national needs that could be met through the research programmes, training and services. More importantly, it will enhance the ability of UI to continue to succeed in effort to deliver the best education and training for students.”

    He urged benefactors to be frugal on how they spend the money, as they all would be accountable. He enjoined them to work as a team and justify the purpose of the grant.

    Also the Chairman of UI-RF board, Chevalier Itsueli, said the board will task itself to make UI achieve more firsts by producing the first post-doctoral research positions at the institution within the next 12 months.

    “We must commercialise at least, one research finding from this portfolio within the same 12 months. We must create a Think-Tank to define and direct our national ethos, in that same time frame. We must provide our home within the next 24 months,” he assured

  • Foundation opens child centre in Calabar

    Foundation opens child centre in Calabar

    In its bid to promote the early educational development of children, the Oando Foundation (OF) has launched an Early Childhood Care Development Centre at St. Patrick’s Primary School in Adiabo, Calabar, Cross River State.

    Director of the foundation, Ms Tokunboh Durosaro, said the programme includes upgrading of the classrooms, training of Early Child Care Development Education (ECCDE) teachers and caregivers by providing them with the necessary skills to work with young children effectively.

    “In addition, OF provides on-site support to teachers in the use of ECCDE equipment and provides educational equipment and furniture such as kiddies’ furniture, white board, children mats, and various children’s teaching aids and toys,” she said.

    She said the centre was established to meet the needs of children based on the approved curriculum which stipulates physical development, affective/psychosocial development, cognitive development, food and nutrition, health, water and environmental sanitation, safety measures and child protection.

    She said, “The programme has been designed to stimulate interest in schooling at a tender age by providing an environment that is child-friendly and age appropriate; ensure the fullest development of personality, talents, and mental and physical abilities; strengthen knowledge on current trends and approaches in ECCDE capacity building for teachers and caregivers; and encourage pupil enrolment and retention in schools.

    “As we know, there is growing scientific evidence that what happens – or doesn’t happen – to a child in the first 1,000 days of life has immediate effects on his or her well-being and future.  Early Childhood care and education services help build cognitive and non-cognitive skills at a time when children’s brains are developing, with long term benefits, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.”

    Speaking at the event, wife of the Cross River State governor, Mrs Obioma Liyel Imoke, said education is the best gift for every child and should be made available and assessable to every child.

    She lauded Oando for the effort at early childhood educational development.

    Commissioner for Education, Prof Offiong Offiong, expressed gratitude to the foundation for their commitment to the programme and called for other corporate bodies to emulate same.

    He promised to work with the foundation to ensure all their programmes succeeded.

    Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mr Joseph Ebam, lauded the foundation for their sense of responsibility in developing education in the state.

    The Obong of Calabar who was represented by the Village Head of Adiabo, Apostle Edet Okon, also expressed gratitude for the gesture and promised to always work with the foundation for the sustainability of their programmes.