One Gideon Osi, a medical doctor in Ebonyi state, has decided to use the occasion of his mother’s burial to realise his lifetime ambition of giving back to the society and delving into philanthropic initiative.
This is as the audacious and thoughtful doctor converted a contribution by his friends, for his mother’s burial, into scholarship grants worth over N50 million to girls, women and other beneficiaries in the state.
He announced the donation during the burial ceremony of his late mother, Madam Rebacca Osi, in Ishiagu, Ivo Local Government Area of the state.
Dr. Osi said his action was necessitated by the sheer and growing number of girl child in the state who do not have access to basic and tertiary education and assured that the scholarship would assist the beneficiaries in their pursuit for education.
He emphasised that the donations were made by his friends, members of different committees and associates in support of the burial of his mother, as over N50 million was realised accordingly.
“N50 million have been put together for this event by my friends, associates, clubs and good-spirited Nigerians but I know that God has provided what will take Mama’s event to the level that she expected it.
“So, I discussed with my wife and we decided that all that contribution, we will use it to train the children of the poor. We are going to go beyond Ishiagu and Ebonyi State. We will commit the entire fund, over N50million on scholarship in appreciation of Mama’s life.
“More women will benefit from that scholarship programme, more girls because when you train a woman, the effect is too magnanimous.”
According to Osi, 46 graduates have so far been trained in different disciplines in the State adding that he decided to train the graduates to promote literacy and human capital development.
He disclosed that he wouldn’t have been a graduate without a scholarship programme from the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, who gave scholarships to 200 persons when he was the Senate President of the country.
Osi noted that having been trained through the scholarship scheme of Anyim, he needed to train others, to help the poor and needy in society.
“Every community has poor people but among the poor people, there are the poorest of the poor. We are among those that are called the poorest of the poor such that even poor people called us poor.
“We were so poor that we couldn’t afford food but God, through various people, we were able to solve that mystery and today, the story is long.
“Today, I feel much more fulfilled watching my mother go home the way she wanted it. She always told me that there will be joy when she dies and now, it is exactly the way it is.”