A former Senator, Dr. Bode Olajumoke, has insisted that the government alone cannot fund the education sector in the country, calling on private individuals and philanthropists to assist the government in funding education in the country.
The former lawmaker who maintained that education remains the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and empowering indigent children to build a brighter future, said education is the greatest opportunity for children living in poverty.
Olajumoke stated this during the launch of a new foundation, Bode Olajumoke Education and Hospitality Initiative (BOEHI) aimed at creating educational opportunities for vulnerable children and supporting deserving adults in achieving their educational goals.
The initiator of the BOEHI foundation said, “Many talented children lack access to quality education due to financial constraints. This foundation is our contribution to bridging that gap by providing resources and support.
“The challenges in our society are enormous and this is one the reasons the foundation was put in place as part of our efforts to contribute towards humanity.
“In many impoverished communities, brilliant but indigent children don’t have the opportunities to experience education in its true form.
“We put this in place to bridge the gap through the distribution of supplies and resources for these indigent but brilliant students or children across Nigeria. By sponsoring a child’s education, you provide them with the chance to break free from their circumstances and reach their full potential”
Speaking on the initiative, the Board Chairman of BOEHI, Mr. Ade Ayeni, said the initiative was designed for indigent but brilliant students across the country.
Ayeni disclosed that the foundation aims to support students across the country, including Abuja, saying the initiative being championed by Senator Olajumoke, is to demonstrate his commitment towards bridging the gap between academic talent and financial access.
He said, “The organization is to mobilize resources and establish educational opportunities for vulnerable children.
“We are to support the community initiatives and also assist deserving adults to attain their educational life goals. When necessary, we are going to give scholarships, grants, and bursaries.
“This foundation has been set up in honour of Dr. Bode Olajumoke, because of his philanthropic spirit, which has generated so much positive energy all over the country.
“We believe that we should have a legacy after him. We should have a situation where even after him, his name will be permanently remembered”
According to him, all the Board members came together to mobilise resources and establish educational opportunities for vulnerable children.
He said apart from this, the Board members will also assist deserving adults to attain their educational life where necessary, through scholarships, grants and bursaries.
“We are forging ahead to create the necessary impact in the community so that everybody will enjoy the efforts of people who have contributed their personal funds to ensure that our programs are well-funded.
“We intend to achieve all these through creative professional staging of school debates, lectures, symposia, dance and drama, and quiz competitions also there would be an annual Bode Olajumoke Essay Competition among Secondary school students”
Ayeni said the first edition of the initiative would come up on July 1st 2025, to mark the 81st birthday of Dr. Olajumoke, saying the event would be backed with grants and bursaries to deserving students.
Also speaking, the founder of Achievers University, Owo, Hon. Bode Ayorinde, hailed the initiative by the former Senator, saying the Olajumoke never ceased to express his strong belief in the transformative power of education to prepare Nigerian children for the future.
He stated that “Senator Bode Olajumoke’s life has been very inspiring. It has been a life of service and support to humanity. This is one of the reasons his friends and associates want to plant a tree that will never die in his lifetime
This is to ensure that the life he lives, we will continue to propagate it, even years after he must have left, to immortalize him by using, mobilizing resources, using our resources to help the vulnerable. He has given scholarship to a number of people that wouldn’t have even gone to school at all.
“But it is better we start now. So that the foundation that has been established in his honour will be strong, well-established before we do the send forth. We shall continue to do what he has been doing, helping the vulnerable, the disabled, and all others.
“That is the whole essence of the foundation and each one of us here is committed to making sure that this foundation will be heard in all nooks and corners of Nigeria and beyond. God will help us”.
