Francis Sadhere

The Morgan Smart Development Foundation, (MSDF), a Non Governmental organization based in Warri, has awarded scholarship to 17 Secondary School Students in Delta State under the its Education Assistance Scheme.

Speaking at the 4^th Scholarship Award Ceremony of the foundation, which took place at the new foundation’s Resource Centre, Okere, Warri Delta State, the President/CEO, MSDF, Dr. Evelyn Omawumi Urhobo said the award scholarship was to make children from poor backgrounds have access to quality education.

(From right) Dr. Michael Emeshili, Chief Inspector of Education, Warri South Representating the Delta State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare; Dr. Evelyn Omawumi Urhobo, President/CEO, Morgan Smart Development Foundation (MSDF); Mrs. Roselyn Awani, HOD, Warri North, representing Mrs. Josephine Agbeyegbe, Chairman of the occasion, and Dr. Sam Okomedo, MD, Dukora International Limited, at the occasion.

She said; “I wish to recall here that this Award and the three previous awards, are all manifestation of the reasons I endowed the Foundation over ten years ago. This was to give scholarship to intelligent children who are from financially challenged homes to help their parents or guardians to meet the school requirements of their children to enable them access qualitative education that will enable them to compete favourable with children from rich homes anywhere.”

She said with the present award the foundation now has a total of 54 students benefiting from the programme, stressing that the selection of the children was based on merit and financial challenges of the children.

She noted that education was the only things that can lift a person from poverty to wealth, urging the beneficiaries to make the best use of the opportunity given to them to become whatever they want to become in life.

Dr. Urhobo further said; “Education makes great things to happen in our lives. Using my education, I worked hard and built a house for my mother and brought her out of poverty because I wanted her to live like the rich people lived. I also bought her a car and sent her on holidays to England.”

She however, warned the beneficiaries that there was no short cut to success, saying that all “success achieved by cutting corners was sinking sand that will surely collapse.”

She tasked the children to work hard so that they can be able to give back to the society that has set them above their peer group, adding that thought the pursuit of education does not come on a platter, but that with perseverance and determination they will succeed.

“The pursuit of education does not come on a platter. The road can be very rough but with perseverance and determination you will succeed. I know I used to say to myself when I was young that I was not going to end up selling pepper in the market. My dear children Education is the key to life. If you are poor it liberates you from poverty and put you at the same level with the children of the rich. You must never stop learning because knowledge is power,” she said.

Dr. Michael Emeshili presenting an award to one of the students, while Dr. Urhobo (middle) look on.

While calling on kind hearted people to come and support the foundation’s laudably programme, Dr. Urhobo lamented that qualified students are been turned down because of lack of funds and that was why they were soliciting for donations to enable them have 100 students on scholarship at any given time.

Dr. Urhobo said; “There have been some contributions from my good friends for which I am very grateful but it is still a far cry from the sum of N10m which we need to put a hundred children in school at N20, 000 a year for 5 years. We are hereby soliciting for donation to enable the Foundation have a 100 students on scholarship at any given time. We are calling for the sponsorship of a student at N20,000 per school year for 5 years, which adds up to N100,000.”

She also said that the foundation has been able to impact lives with funding receive from foreign donor agencies which are used to build schools, healthcare centres, water projects and sanitation facilities spread across the state.

The President/ CEO of the Foundation revealed that it was also a technical Adviser to Chevron working with the Itsekiri and Ilaje Regional Development Councils under the Chevron GMoU, adding that the Foundation has received funding approval from the French Embassy through its SDF program in Nigeria to provide Choker Fish Drying Kilns to 20 communities, 10 each from Ondo and Edo states respectively for income generation for women in the communities.

Also in his speech, the Special Guest of Honour, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, Commissioner for Basic and secondary Education, while commending Dr. Urhobo for her effort in ensuring that children from poor home get the best education, urged other well meaning Nigerians to emulate.

The Commissioner who was represented by Dr. Michael Emeshili, stated that the State Government has closed 63 illegal schools in Warri South Local Government Area of the state, adding that the administration of Governor Uduaghan has zero tolerance on illegal schools in the state.

He advised parents who still have their children in ramshackle schools to withdraw them and take them to government schools that are now world class schools with all facilities put in place.

Prof. Muoboghare stressed that primary and secondary education are free in the state, calling on parents and guardians to report any case of illegal collection of levies from students to the appropriate authority.

He vowed to deal with any teacher or school principal that goes about collecting illegal levies from student, warning that anyone caught will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

He called on spirited individuals to emulate Morgan Smart Foundation by opening more foundations, commending Morgan Smart Foundation for eradicating crime from the society through its scholarship scheme.

“I want to encourage philanthropic individuals to come and support this foundation. This is the second time that the Ministry of Education, Basic and Secondary, Warri South field Office is participating in their events. And I can tell they are doing wonderfully well, and we are looking for organizations like these to spring up in Warri axis. I can assure you that if we have two, three of such foundations, the issue of crime will be less. To some of you what she is doing is just trying to empower these children for their tomorrow. But the foundation is doing far much more than that. We are not praying for anything evil. Just imaging that 17 of these children were left to become thugs in Okere here, tell me what will happen in the next twenty years,” he said.

Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Mrs. Josephine Agbeyegbe, who was represented by Mrs. Roselyn Awani, HOD, Education, Warri North, in  her opening speech, commended Dr. Evelyn Urhobo for her kind gesture towards the children, noting that what she has been doing in the foundation is commendable.

She called on the beneficiaries of the scholarship to work hard and avoid bad friends so that they can achieve what they want to become in life.

Mrs. Agbeyegbe also called on parents to always monitor their children, especially the girl child, adding that that was the only way they could know how well their children were doing in school and at home.