President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote has expressed his preparedness to award scholarships to physically challenged persons who desire education as part of his contributions towards empowering the less privileged in the society.
He said his foundation, the Dangote Foundation, would henceforth look into the areas of provision of assistance to the brilliant ones who have interest in going to higher institutions but have one disability or the other that may impair them.
The business mogul gave this promise when he received in audience in his office, a physically challenged, Kayode Ogendengbe, a blind, who came to present his B.Sc. certificate to him, to formally informed him that he had finished his first degree which was sponsored by the richest man in Africa.
Dangote had spotted the potentials of Ogedengbe through Teens Empowerment and Salvage Initiative (TESI), a Non-Governmental Organization, during a programme in Lagos and volunteered to fund his university education after which Ogedengbe got admitted into University of Maiduguri, Borno state.
He stated that one of the things that the rich could do to impact the society positively is to help the physically challenged persons to realize their dream pointing out that after all everyone has one challenge or the other even if not physical but that God has been the one helping everypody.
“I think we owe these people some help to help them achieve their dream. This is one of the ways we can give back and appreciate God because we may not be physically challenged, but everyone has one challenge or other and God has been our helper.
I am going to instruct the Foundation to work with TESI and see how we can collaborate and provide some scholarships to the deserving ones among them and by so doing we will making the society more satisfying and pleasurable for all to live in.
Ogedengbe expressed his happiness that he didn’t disappoint Alhaji Dangote and that he finished with second class upper grade from the university.
While thanking him for the good gesture, Ogedengbe enjoined other rich Nigerians to emulate Dangote and help lift physically challenged persons whom according to him have potentials only that they are limited by some disabilities.
The coordinator of TESI, Mrs. Chinasa Jonathan-Ochei who led Ogedengbe and his friends to Dangote thanked the businessman for committing part of his wealth to help physically challenged persons saying there are many more Ogedengbes with vast potentials but without help to explore the potentials.
She urged Dangote not to rest on his oars but continue to use his God given resources to better the lots of the less privileged. She explained that TESI still needed the assistance of the Dangote Foundation and that the organization would work with the Foundation.
In his remark, a patron of TESI, Professor Pat Utomi said he could not thank Alhaji Dangote enough for his decision to visit TESI during which he spotted Ogedengbe and urged other well-meaning Nigerians, to come to the aid of the physically challenged ones.
(Source: DAILY SUN)
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