By Gift Olivia Samuel, The Sight News
ABUJA: The former Governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha has disclosed plans to take a million less privileged children off the streets during his lifetime, by providing them with free and quality education.
This is just as he noted, that his contract at 59 is to promote the education of the less privileged and the oppressed who did not have access to education.
The former governor who currently represents Imo West in the Senate, disclosed this recently in Abuja during an interview with a select group of Journalists.
The senator, who is the founder of the Okorocha Foundation, noted that providing care and education for oppressed children across Africa is more important to him than acquiring material goods.
In his words, “I want to take a million children off the streets and give them free quality education, that’s my goal. Once I am able to achieve this, it is much more important to me than being the President of Nigeria, a Senator or a Governor.
“It is more important to me than having mansions in South Africa and Dubai,” he said.
He further disclosed that the Foundation currently has more than 25,000 children in different schools.
Okorocha said, “Now I have over 25,000 children, 75% of them are orphans and about 15% of them have single parent families, 5% live below the poverty line, although their parents are alive.
“For my birthday, I invited children from different parts of the country and all over Africa”, he pointed out.
He urged more Nigerians and Africans to join him in the desire to take more children off the streets and give them an education that will not only develop the continent but promote peace.
Okorocha also urged the media to provide the necessary support to the government to deal with the insecurity, banditry and other challenges facing the country.
“This is the time when the media are most needed for the security and development of the country. There is no doubt that our nation is going through difficult times and that there is insecurity and other challenges. This is the time when we will need you more, ”he said.
Some of the children under the Foundation who were present to felicitate with the Senator were from countries such as; Nigeria, Kenya, Congo, Cameroon, Mozambique, Gambia, Ethiopia, Liberia, Burundi, Malawi, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Niger, Lesotho and Tanzania and many more.
Speaking to The Sight News, one of the Rochas Foundation College of Africa (ROFOCA) student, Anna Bernad from Tanzania who joined the Rochas Foundation in 2017, said her goal is to be a Journalist so as to change the narrative and enlighten people more on what her father [Rochas] is doing to help the less privileged.
While noting that she feels good being part of the Rochas Foundation, the 17-year-old Bernad said, “Being part of this Foundation has made me realize many things I never knew before. For example, my talent. I never knew I could sing before but when I joined the foundation, our Arts teacher taught us music.
“If you join Rochas Foundation College of Africa, if you have talent, they will use your talent, if you are intelligent, they will help you harness it. Anything you have is not a waste in Rochas Foundation”, she said.
She further urged Okorocha to continue doing what he does, adding that there are so many people supporting him and the students of the foundation from over 15 African countries will not disappoint him.
The Rochas Foundation is a non-governmental, non-profit and apolitical organization, created in 1998, with a commitment to serve humanity and build a credible future for Africa by ensuring that every less privileged child has access to a comprehensive and quality education.
