By Precious Ireoluwa
Education is an indispensable tool that can be used to transform any society when every stakeholder contributes meaningfully to the sector.
This was the position of the Managing Director, Diamond of God Global Resources, Engr. Oluwadare Omodudu at the Diamond Scholarship Award he offered to forty secondary school students in his community Ilupeju-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The event tagged, “10th Year Of Transforming Lives Through Education”, drew students from two government secondary schools, Obalatan Commercial Grammar School, Ilupeju-Ekiti, the alma mater of the philanthropist, and Ilupeju High School.
The privates are Christ The King and Oluwanifesimi Grammar School, both at Ilupeju-Ekiti.
Forty students from the four schools got scholarship awards of fifty thousand naira (N50,000) each from Engr. Omodudu to support their education which according to him is because of the situation in the country. He stressed that the initiative is borne out humanitarian concerns and has no selfish or political motives.
Engr. Omodudu believed that with such gesture, the lives of the students will not remain the same especially when there are some pressing challenges to address. He enjoined the students to have a rethink and reshape their lives in tune with how they are going to pursue the future. He pointed out that parents should encourage their children to embrace education as a way to accomplish this dream rather than cursing them.
The business magnate underscored the need for the students to be determined in their education notwithstanding what obstacles they confront in their educational voyage.
According to him,” if you value education there is no point you cannot get to in life”. Adding that to achieve a positive future, they must not join unscrupulous groups as without morale conduct their education is a waste.
The engineer promised to raise the number of beneficiaries in the 2025 edition. On sustenance of the yearly gesture, he said it is something that eats deep into his purse, but promised not to back out as it is a way of paying back to his community from what God has endowed him with.
An old student of Obalatan Commercial Grammar School, who was also the Senior Prefect of the school and the organizer of the award as his Assistant Prefect, Mr Lawrence Ibitoye, in his goodwill message, reminded the students that,” Rome was not built in a day”, hence the need for them not to view education as a scam.
Mr Ibitoye admonished them that education is the pathway. “Be determined for you to become what you want to become in life, you will make it. Obey your parents, and assist them in domestic chores”. Said he.
Others in their goodwill messages emphasized that parents have fundamental roles to play in the upbringing of their children by ensuring close monitoring of their lifestyles and social engagements.
The traditional ruler, Apeju of Ilupeju-Ekiti, HRM, David Akingbade, represented by His Highness, Sunday Ogunsola, commended Engr. Omodudu for his kindness to financially lift some of the students he felt needed such succour.
He described it as a good development in the community which is worthy of emulation.
