Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Thirty pupils in Aboh community, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State have been awarded scholarships by the Gregory Oputa Foundation.
The 30 brilliant pupils were among the 150 pupils that initially applied for the scholarship.
Chairman of the foundation, Prince Gregory Oputa at a ceremony to unveil the foundation, urged well-meaning Nigerians to contribute to the growth of education by awarding scholarship to brilliant children whose parents cannot afford to pay their fees.
Oputa said through scholarships, brilliant pupils who ordinarily will not be able to attend high profile schools will have access to such schools.
He said: “Proper education is very vital for children’s upbringing. That a child’s parents are financially handicap should not deter such child from continuing with his educational pursuit.
“Sponsorship of educational programme of children should be a collective responsibility. Through such scholarship, we will contribute to building a better future for our children and by implication, we shall have a stable society. Parents should encourage their children to read and also find time to rest.”
A former Editor-in-Chief of Delta Stat owned The Pointer newspaper, Prince Mike Oputa, who was the chairman of the occasion, stated that the scholarship covers tuition, books, among others.
He congratulated the winners, and urged them to make the best use of the opportunity to build a responsible future.
“In spite of hard times, parents, please, continue to encourage these children. My heartfelt gratitude to the founder of Gregory Oputa Foundation for committing his resources for education of other people’s children as he embraced the philosophy of catch them young,” he said.
On her part, Rev. Sis. Frednora Ikpeama described the donor as a man with a larger heart, adding that “the more you give, the more you receive. We are aware that it is not all those who have, have the heart to give and I commend Prince Oputa for having the heart of giving.”
Also speaking, Kenneth Odili, re-echoed the need for people to institute scholarship schemes to sponsor educational programmes, asserting that without education, there will be challenges.