ONO Foundation to lift indigent students
ONO Foundation is a not-for-profit and non-political organisation set up to transform the lives of less privileged children and youth in Nigeria, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar Onyema has said.
Speaking at the unveiling of the Foundation in Lagos, Onyema hinted that the foundation was instituted to expand access to formal education and tackle educational gap in the country.
“The primary goal of the foundation is to support the continued effort to expand access to formal education in Nigeria, especially amongst indigent children and youth,” he said.
Onyema said that the foundation would raise the bar in academic achievements, encourage positivity, and hope to the less privileged families and communities. He pointed out that the foundation would invest in four key priority areas: mentorship Programme, scholarship management programme, workforce programme and home visitation.
According to him, the foundation will identify areas of critical need in the education and development of underprivileged persons with a view to providing them such assistance appropriately. He added that ONO Foundation was positioned with the goal of unlocking access to formal education for less privileged youths. Also speaking, Mr Tunde Folawiyo, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, ONO Foundation, commended Onyema for the initiative aimed at transforming the country at large.
Folawiyo said that the foundation was borne out of an understanding that the society of our dreams cannot materialise if its future (the children and the youth) were not properly trained, inspired and equipped
“This foundation is unique because its programmes are focused not just on education but also on treating the emotional and mental challenges and ills faced by our children and youth, their families and our less privileged communities,” he said.ONO Foundation Trustees are: Mrs Margaret Onyema-Orakwusi, a lawyer and Principal Partner, Margaret Onyema & Co and Ms Ejim Dike, Executive Director, U S Human Rights Network.Others are the Managing Director, Dunn Loren Merrifield, Mr Sonnie Ayere, and a musician and entrepreneur, Florence Otedola (Dj Cuppy).
