Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
The joy of the students, staff and principal of Emahor Secondary School, Major, in Igueben Local Government Area of Edo State, knew no bounds as an indigene of the area, Charles Ekholowa Enahonna, paid for the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) forms for students of the school as part of his efforts to promote the educational advancement of the community.
The 51 students also got all expenses borne by the donor, including stress-free NIN registration for the students.
During a brief ceremony at the school premises over the weekend, three indigent students who could not afford the West African Senior Secondary Examination (WASSE), also had their enrollment fees paid by the philanthropist.
The WASSE enrollment followed an appeal to that effect by the principal of the school who had complained of some students’ inability to pay up even after having been captured on the examination registration portal.
In his remarks, Enahonna charged the beneficiaries to see the gesture as a unique opportunity to excel in their academics in order to fittingly join in the development of human society.
He urged the students to forget about the seeming limiting circumstances of their study environment and take their studies seriously.
He also advised them to make books their regular companion as that was the only way to pass both the WASSE and JAMB examinations which they have registered for.
“I’m conversant with the limiting social and psychological factors of every study environment and Amahor Secondary School is not insulated from these challenges.
“I, therefore, advise you to study hard and pass the forthcoming exams in order to be relevant in the highly competitive university admission space.
“Don’t be afraid of where the money to foot the bills of your university education will come from. Just work hard and pass first and leave the rest for God who will bring your destiny helpers, first in securing spaces in choice universities and your eventual sponsorship through the course of study.
“God has blessed a good number of Amahor people and they are eager to support every worthy course undertaken by scholars from this community,” Enahonna emphasised.
He charged the students not to join in the destructive campaign by some misguided youths on the social media, which tended to portray academic pursuits as being a scam; stressing that education remained the baseline for success in every human endeavour.
Speaking in the same vein, the principal of the school, Mr. Charles Ononghibo Okhariwo, tasked the students not to lose sight of their purpose and goals of their academic pursuits, insisting that with education, the sky would be their stepping stone.
Okhariwo thanked the sponsor of the JAMB and WASSE registration project for his kindness and stressed that the exercise was just one of the numerous assists Enahonna had rendered to the school.
The principa prayed to God to place him in a position to render greater assistance to humanity.
He said that some of the assistance included the periodic provision of free books and materials for all students and pupils of secondary and primary schools in Amahor and Ugun communities through a special purpose vehicle tagged: “The Royal Priesthood.”
Other areas of intervention, he noted, included the donation of a computer laboratory installed in the school with 10 brand new units of CPU and 18.5 screen monitors; donation of medical aids and consumables to the Obodeko Primary Healthcare Center and the purchase and installation of a 33KV transformer to boost electricity supply to communities without asking for anything in return.
Enahonna used the occasion to appeal to the Edo State government to provide the school with teachers in the core subject areas to enable students to gain maximally in their academics.
He said that the community had taken up the challenge of hiring some teachers on a part-time basis to make up for the deficit for the time being.
