Adiaso Foundation Ignites Dreams with 50 University Scholarships
It was indeed a day of joy for Miss Joy Okpanku, a first year student of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State. She had just collected her cheque for a full scholarship for her university education.
Joy was among the over 50 students selected from the 17 Local Government Areas of Abia State, who were given scholarships worth millions of naira to cover the cost of their education in various tertiary institutions in the country by the Adiaso Foundation.
The lucky beneficiaries collected their cheques recently at a historic ceremony which took place at the country home of Engr. Chamberline Okechukwu Adiaso in Obichukwu, Obieketta autonomous community in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State.
The joyous occasion was like a carnival as students, high profile politicians and people from all walks of life gathered at the behest of the Adiaso Foundation to support the cause of higher education.
Speaking at the occasion, Eze Charles Nwamaranna, the traditional ruler of Obieketta and the Chairman of the Adiaso Foundation, assured students who were not shortlisted in the first batch to be patient and wait for another opportunity in subsequent batches as the scholarship scheme was structured to be a yearly programme.
He said that the scholarship scheme was meant to encourage youths, irrespective of their political orientation or religious background, to pursue and actualise their dreams by acquiring higher education that would eventually bring development to the state and the nation at large.
He declared: “The benefits of education to any society can never be overemphasised.”
Eze Nwamaranna lauded the sponsor of the foundation for giving back to the society even when he was not holding any position in government. “He takes delight in humanitarian services,” he said, adding that his footprints have been stamped on grading of roads across his local government area, provision of grants to selected farmers in the state, as well as the provision of free healthcare services to women in the state.
The traditional ruler appealed to other well placed citizens of Abia State to emulate the noble gesture of Adiaso as “government alone cannot do it all.”
In his own remarks, Engr. Chemberline Adiaso, the sponsor of the Adiaso Foundation, stated that his motivation was to reach out to people who were going through difficulties to alleviate their sufferings. He said that he recognised the fact that there were families that could not afford to train their children in higher institutions, thereby exposing the unfortunate youths to all kinds of criminal tendencies.
Adiaso, who is also the Managing Director of Mayfair Project Limited, said that he had instituted several foundations to cater to the need of the less privileged people in the society.
He noted that the two most important things in his life were his love for God and the down trodden, who for no fault of theirs could not make ends meet. “I am worried by the high level of illiteracy in our society and I am determined to help as many people as possible to overcome this debilitating challenge,” he said.
The renowned philanthropist observed that he shared some of the good traits of President Muhammadu Buhari, whom he said was respected and admired by many for his honesty and sincerity. He declared: “I am emulating the leadership qualities of President Buhari. He is one president that is not interested in the accumulation of material possessions, but has placed his emphasis on changing the fortunes of the country for the good of all Nigerians.
Adiaso, who is notable APC chieftain in Abia State, urged Nigerians to continue to pray for President Buhari, who recently returned to the country from a medical vacation in London. “We should not relent in praying that God will grant our President the strength and good health to be able to carry on with his change agenda for the country,” he said.
The APC Chieftain said that Nigeria needed leaders and not rulers, lamenting that our society was dominated by rulers who would rather be served than serve others. He stressed: “When you lead people, you don’t expect to gain anything for yourself but you work to touch the lives of as many people as possible.
“Leadership is all about living by example and doing things that will add value to the well-being of less privileged people. Apart from giving out agricultural loans and scholarships, I have also been engaged in upgrading infrastructure in the rural communities. I started grading roads in my local government area and beyond to help open up the rural areas and create access to the villages.
The Director General Think Nigeria First Initiative, Alhaji Abubakar Tsanni, while commending the achievements of Chief Adiaso, advised members of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Ukwa Ngwa LGA to imbibe the change mantra of President Mohammadu Buhari by electing leaders and not corrupt rulers.
He lauded the leadership qualities of Engr. Adiaso, whom he said had done so much for his people without minding the cost.
The Chairman of the occasion, Chief Allen Nwachukwu, who is also deputy Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Abia State, commended Engr. Adiaso for his numerous contributions towards helping the less privileged in the society. According to him, “if we have many people like Chamberline Adiaso in the state, Abia will be like a small London.”
He charged Adiaso not to relent in his humanitarian services to the society, noting that his contributions in road rehabilitation, support for farmers and award of scholarships would not go unrewarded.
The PDP Deputy Chairman called on other good spirited Nigerians to emulate the kind gesture of Engr. Adiaso, noting that the society was better served by people who are selfless.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Abia State Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Chief Donatus Nwamkpa, said he was not surprised by the kind and generous disposition of Engr. Adiaso as he had always known him for his philanthropy.
He said: “His thinking always is how he can improve the social and economic life of the less privileged. He is a man driven by the passion to render service to the people. He has demonstrated this in several ways in the past, especially when he donated 100 million naira to farmers in Abia State.”
He said that the lifeline of N100 million soft loan to enable farmers grow food and fend for themselves was an invaluable gift for which Adiaso would be remembered for a long time.
According to the APC Chairman, Adiaso had written his name in gold through his comprehensive welfare package, which included free medical services, higher education scholarships and the provision of rural infrastructure.
The APC Chairman remarked that the free medical services introduced by Adiaso have so far tackled various ailments through the interventions of medical experts who conducted tested and provided free drugs to patients.
The father of one of the beneficiaries, Eze Paul Okpanku, expressed delight at the philanthropy of Engr. Adiaso, noting that a lot of people were reaping from his N100 million soft loan to farmers. He said that the roads he built in Isiala Ngwa South LGA, had created access to peasant farmers to help them in moving their farm produce to the urban areas.
Eze Okpanku said that the Adiaso Foundation had done a lot to help in addressing various societal the problems, including kidnapping, political killings and other forms of criminality.
He commended Adiaso for his numerous contributions to the empowerment of less privilege people across the state.
The Adiaso Foundations took centre-stage last year during the opening of an ultra-modern hospital at Obieketa autonomous community in Isiala Ngwa South LGA in honour of late Lay Reader Mercy Adiaso. A memorial service was held in her honour as well.
At that occasion, Adiaso said that the ultra-modern hospital was built in honour of Mercy Adiaso because “we don’t want any of her legacies to die. That is why we revived her maternity home and upgraded it into a specialist hospital with very modern equipment.
