Secret Reporters No place to hide
Ambrose Nwaogwugwu
For over 13,000 children beneficiaries of Rochas Foundation College – 24th of February, 1998 will forever be a date they will not forget all their life; a day that gave birth to the Rochas Foundation.
Rochas Foundation; is a non governmental organization that caters for the poorest of the poor in our society.
Formed in 1998, three years after its formation, Rochas foundation college came into existence which was given birth to see for the educational needs of the children of the members of our society who could not afford it to have access to education with no payment attached.
They are admitted freely under Rochas College of education situated in Owerri, Ibadan, Jos, Kano, Ogboko ( which has both primary and secondary school and is the hometown of the founder) which made up of the old Rochas Foundation College stock.
From the initial five kick off centres across the country, Rochas foundation college expanded to more states in the country to accommodate more indigent Nigerians in giving their lives meaning through free and qualitative education.
With the new free education centres which spreads across Sokoto, Zaria, Calabar, Enugu, Bauchi and Yola Rochas Foundation college has over 13,000 students nationwide in its academic population.
Out of the 13,000 of the total student population, 4,000 of them have been graduated from Rochas foundation college and out of the 4,000 that have left the college, 1,000 have graduated from the university while 3,000 are still undergraduates at various learning centres across the country and 9,000 more are still currently in the college.
Like every other academic graduands would do the graduates have formed an alumnus body known as Rochas Foundation old Boys Association (ROFOSA).
More like an insatiable quest to see that the children of the less privileges receives education like every other kid; Rochas Foundation is spreading it’s goodwill and benevolent tentacles not only on across the nation but across the continent.
Thus, Rochas Foundation has now expanded outside the shores of the country to make Nigeria’s neighboring countries and members of the African continent partake in the benevolence of Owelle Rochas Okorocha to 55 other African countries with 5 children in each of the 55 countries as inaugural beneficiaries for a start.
And here, Rochas Foundation College of Africa is born.
Rochas Foundation College of Africa is a project 55 : 5 : 55 maxim which dictates that every African kid deserves a right to free and qualitative education and will be unveiled on the 27th of September, 2017 in the Eastern heartland of Owerri the capital city of Imo state where Owelle Rochas Okorocha will mark his 55th birthday with each of the 5 children from 55 countries in Africa.
On 27th of this month; the Project55555 will be born with the inaugural 275 students of Rochas Foundation college of Africa storming Owerri together with the other 4,000 members of Rofosa for the 55th birthday celebration of their adopted father in whom they are well pleased, Owelle Dr. Rochas Anayo Okorocha OON for the celebration of their founder and president of Rochas Foundation who incidentally is the governor of Imo state and the chairman of the APC governor’s forum, for giving their life a meaning through education with project55555.
It will be a time to give back to the fore bearer of project55555 by the students.
One man who has given scholarship as a private citizen to over 13,000 African children; giving hope to lives of the indigents in our soiciety and making them believe in themselves.
This is a feat no body born of a man has been able to achieve in the whole of Africa as a continent.
A celebration of African champion of free education.
Well, Rochas efforts are commendable. Training people without jobs amounts to breeding a horde of future criminals. I don’t want to diminish the philanthropy of the governor but people across the nation of Nigeria need jobs and not graduates whose credentials may not be suited for today’s technological world. However, Rochas initiatives worth emulation. Those who have billions of money need to invest in industries that will employ the unemployed. Nigerian businesspeople want immediate profits from their investments but not so. It’s interesting to know that Rochas has spread his wealth to all African countries. Rochas should learn from Nigerian history when a sitting military leader boasted that money wasn’t Nigerian problems. What are we seeing today? Wise and prudent rulers are those who govern wisely so that the ruled have cause to have hope for future of their country. After all, these African countries don’t respect Nigeria. Nigerians need to look inward at this time when the country is dire needs of jobs, jobs,and jobs.