Dr. David Olofu, a former Benue State commissioner for finance, established the N50 million Education Support Fund to alleviate the struggles Idoma students in Benue South’s nine local government areas face as they pursue higher education.
Olofu, a senior technical advisor to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and the former chairman of the Forum of Commissioners for Finance in Nigeria, stated that the initiative was taken to support the administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s determination to offer scholarships to the students.
Olofu was first put forward by the Idoma Area Traditional Council for a chieftaincy title in Otukpo, but he was purportedly delisted by Governor Hycient Alia just 48 hours before the ceremony. The governor’s media team has not yet released an official statement.
At a press conference on Friday in Otukpo, Benue State, Olofu, however, stated that he had moved past that and preferred to use the money raised for the event’s reception to make the students in Idoma smile.
As you are aware, the esteemed Idoma Area Traditional Council was to bestow upon me the chieftaincy title in the coming days. And as soon as I received the notification from His Majesty, the Och’Idoma, I notified my political party, all of my friends and associates, and the central planning committee to ensure a successful confirmation ceremony. I received notification that this would no longer be the case less than 48 hours before the event.
My friends, coworkers, and associates helped me in the interim to ensure that this event was held in a hedge-free manner.I reached out to them after they made that provision, and we decided that, given the fact that they had given support, I should use the remainder to support my people in any way I can, after consulting with my constituency and leaders from both parties. Therefore, I have used the support to some extent. Furthermore, let me add that this contribution—which crossed party lines—came from all over the federation.
The PDP, APC, APGA, and Labour parties all made contributions to this event in order for me to feel worthy of the honor that His Royal Majesty, the Och’idoma, was going to bestow upon me. As you may remember, I was the chairman of the Nigerian Forum of Commissioners of Finance and serve as Senior Technical Advisor to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum at present.
Thus, the support was universal and came from every corner of the federation. And after discussing it with my leaders, we decided to use the remaining funds from the support I’ve received—which I call the Education Support Fund—to assist Idoma students enrolled in postsecondary institutions. By the grace of God, we are now creating an Education Support Fund under the auspices of the Apa Legacy Sustainability Initiative with the help of contributions from my friends, colleagues, and associates.
“To reach out to all the students that will qualify for this intervention, we have a window of about 50 million, with an initial inflow of about 20 million and a projection of 10 million per year,” Olofu stated.
He described how he paid for his education while attending the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, and he had to turn to working as a waiter in restaurants. Despite this, he resisted the urge to drop out of school and saw himself through to graduation.
“We consulted widely and we came to a conclusion that our brother, our leader, and our son, who is currently serving as a senior lecturer at the Federal University Wukari; our brother, Professor David Salifu, a former SSG, to serve as the chairman of the Board of Trustees that will administer this fund,” Olofu said when appointing the members of the Education Support Fund Board of Trustees.
Let me stress that this fund will have no political affiliations, and we have acknowledged that we are bringing the National Association of Idoma Students (NAIS) on board to collaborate with him in that team. To provide secretarial services and fulfill the requirement of having a representative from the Idoma Area Traditional Council and a member of civil society on the team, we have also nominated Honorable Owoicho Oyi, the former chairman of Apa Local Government, to fill that role.
In his acceptance message, Prof. Salifu, the chairman of the Board, called the project commendable and encouraged other Idoma sons and daughters to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Olofu, the project’s founder.
“I accept the appointment that my younger brother, Dr. David Olofu, the recently appointed Benue Finance Commissioner, made me chair of the Board of the Education Support Fund. I firmly believe in the Foundation’s mission, and I encourage all of us to volunteer to serve as the foundation for carrying this project through to its inevitable end.
Notwithstanding the circumstances, NAIS President Comrade Vincent Odebugu thanked Dr. Olofu for his kindness to the Idoma students.
“I stand here today in appreciation and commendation to Hon. David Olofu, for this charitable act towards the Idoma nation,” the speaker remarked. “You have a track record of facing challenges while on campus, and you have experienced what it takes to pass through the four walls of the university.” These are the difficulties that we association leaders face, and our inability to provide solutions hinders us.
A Chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Chris Adaba Abba, and Comrade Joe Ochogwu, National President of NAIS in 1995, praised Dr. Olofu’s gesture and urged other Idoma leaders to follow in his footsteps in separate remarks.
The two agreed that others would have gone home and been whispering about the delisting, claiming that anything done to help Nigerian students during this difficult time is morally righteous and godly.