From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Renowned philanthropist and economist Tony Elumelu has pledged to provide empowerment opportunities for students of Start-Rite school, Abuja, in entrepreneurship and other skills that would increase their chances for global opportunities.
Elumelu said the choice of the school was because of the strategic position of the school in grooming future leaders and experts in different areas of human needs, as well as the desire of the founder, late Amaka Ndoma-Egba, to provide a platform for such opportunities, especially for children.
Speaking at the maiden memorial lecture of Amaka Ndoma-Egba, the wife of Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, who died in a road accident last year, Elumelu said his interest in such empowerment was because the world is looking at Africa for a solution to global challenges in ICT, economy, security, and other areas.
He said: “At Tony Elumelu Foundation, which is my personal commitment to leadership and entrepreneurship development, we try to catch talents and potentials at a young age. Once that is done, we educate, empower and expose them to necessary opportunities so that, collectively, we would make a great society.
“We believe that the best thing for people is to teach them how to feed and not to feed them. So, we would work together to see how Tony Elumelu Foundation, UBA Foundation which are committed to education and economic empowerment, can support the legacy of the late Amaka Ndoma-Egba, to turn these young ones into entrepreneurs, thereby, creating future billionaires out of them. This is because the future of Nigeria and the world belong to them and we would support them.”
He described the late Amaka Ndoma-Egba, as a dogged and committed fellow who made her mark in the banking sector through her commitment and dedication to duty.
He said: “Late Amaka Ndoma-Egba was a pioneer staff of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), right from the time of Standard Trust Bank. Many people don’t understand that what we have today as UBA was made possible by our pioneer staff and late Amaka Ndoma-Egba was one of them. She, unarguably, live forever in our mind because we love her.
“Late Amaka Ndoma-Egba did not only work with me closely but she demonstrated something that was uncommon during her time. She pushed hard for results. There was no impossibility in her dictionary.
“I interviewed her myself, and could still remember that she took a night bus from Onitsha to Lagos to participate in the interview. That was an early sign of commitment and seriousness. So, I was not surprised by what I am seeing. My only regret is that she’s not here to conduct me around the school and other facilities.
“Her great achievements in this school and other endeavours is not surprising to me. She showed the signs when she was with us at the Standard Trust Bank. I, therefore, encourage the current management of the school to ensure that her legacies live on, and I am confident in their ability to do that.
“For instance, before her death, the school had little above 500 students. but I heard there are over 700 students in the school now. It’s an indication that the legacy is on.
“I told some Chief Executive Officers of some companies at a meeting a few days ago that I love late Steve Jobs, because, in his death, the company he founded became the first in the world to attend a trillion dollars market capitalization.
“I am particularly happy that Start-Rite school participated in the recent Microsoft examination and one of the students scored 100 per cent. That’s wonderful and impressive.”
He thanked the school management for helping to prepare the next generation of leaders that would be useful to the private and public sectors of the economy. “Legacy is very important, and it’s also important that we leave a good one.”
The principal of the school, Philip Reynolds, in his remarks, said the school has been able to pick up pieces of itself and move on.
He confirmed that the school running well since the death of the founder a year ago, and has even achieved more success as has been the desire of late Amaka Ndoma-Egba.