From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The former governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has challenged the African Union (AU) to key into the initiative that will encourage member countries to design a framework that would take care of education of children suffering due to factors like war.
Speaking when he received the Ambassadors of Republic of Congo, Jacques Obindza and his South Sudan counterpart, Paul Molong Akaro during their separate visits on him in Abuja, Okorocha argued that the true unity of the African continent rests on the students across African schooling at Rochas Foundation.
The former Imo governor also appealed to African countries to prioritise the education of orphans and those from poorest families who cannot afford formal education, noting that children from poor homes have a lot to contribute to the political and economic development of Africa if trained.
Okorocha, who has been partnering with the Republic of Congo, South Sudan, other countries and well-meaning individuals to provide free and quality education for the underprivileged children in Africa, emphasised that training of responsible children from poor homes would impact positively on Africa.
“The major problem of Africa is illiteracy and poverty. So we are coming in to change the story. We have over 14 million out of school children who have been left unattended to as a result of poverty. We are advising African nations to adopt Okorocha’s Foundation to enable the helpless children fulfil their dreams.
“The AU should come and see what we are doing and see how they can support this venture. We have over 25, 000 children in our Foundation across Nigeria and Africa. So, the Foundation is a uniting factor for Africa. The children here talk Africa and think Africa. So we want to strengthen this relationship,” he said.
Speaking while hosting the South Sudan Ambassador, Okorocha said: “My brother and friend, he has been a partner in this whole thing. They are one of the few countries that responded at the earlier stage, who believe in this and three years running, going to the fourth year, you can see the benefits that children who came from nook and crannies, villages and orphanages from these African countries are now those that we are looking forward up to become something in this world.
“I want to thank you for believing in us and we assure you and the government of South Sudan that this partnership will continue. South Sudan has a history of having gone through series of war and had been in the battle field for so many reasons and when such things happen in Africa, the consequences are children out of schools like what is happening in Boko Haram.
“Wherever there are crisis, the first victims are the children and the first thing you see is children not going to schools. These are nations of the entire world that are left unattended to that are likely going to be a time bomb for tomorrow. So, this has become a serious concern and that is why we are calling for this partnership especially in the education sector, that let us team up to see what we can do for these children especially those who can go to school if these opportunities never came before them.
“Here you have seen these children, some of them want to be President, governors, Doctors, Engineers, mention them because opportunities have been given to them. Education is no more a means to life, education now is life itself.
So, we in Rochas Foundation, despite the efforts that we had made, engaging over 25, 000 kids, graduating over 6,000 but it is still like a drop in an ocean, so you can imagine in my whole life time, if l go at this pace l might be giving like 100,000 or more, but that is just a drop in this ocean of illiteracy and poverty that is why we are urging nations to adopt this non governmental approach.
“It helps to arrest the situation and that would help everybody. So, l want to thank you and thank Mr. President just that we are looking forward to seeing him. These children want to see their President.
President Zuma came here as a sitting President, President Sirleaf Johnson came here as a sitting President, we are still waiting to see the President of South Sudan, we don’t know what that would be in their lives.
“The First Lady has gone there three times, he come again on Monday to spend three days with his kids. When other First Ladies come, the Presidents come and their own President has not come, there is a sense of not feeling well. I want to let you know that the students are doing very, very well. They are not lacking behind at all.
“Like l said to you, Rochas Foundation has given people opportunity to understand Africa, that the true unity of Africa will start from that school, this is the first time we are having Africa under one roof and you can see the bounding and the relationship. If any child gets sick, the entire students would not eat for days until that one gets one. That is face of Africa and that is what is happening there. They all talk about Africa and nothing but Africa,” he said.
Earlier, the Ambassador Republic of Congo Obindza and his counterpart in South Sudan, Akaro in their separate remarks, said the two countries would sustain ties with the Okorocha Foundation for the socio-politlcal and economic development of the African continent.
