By Uka Dave
A business mogul and CEO GOSIMA GROUP, Dr Gideon Osi, GOC has trained 46 graduates in Ebonyi state.
Osi disclosed this in his Ishiagu home town, Ivo local government area of the state during the funeral of his mother, Madam Rebecca Osi.
He noted that the 46 graduates cut across all disciplines, adding that he decided to train the graduates to promote literacy, describing education as the best gift one can give to his people.
He opined that he wouldn’t have been a graduate with a scholarship from former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim who gave scholarship to 200 persons when he was Senate President.
Osi said having been trained through the scholarship scheme of Anyim, it was necessary for him to train others to promote literacy and help the poor as someone from the poorest of the poor.
‘Every community has poor people but among the poor people, there are poorest of the poor. We are among those that are those that are called poorest of the poor such that even poor people called us poor. We were so poor that we couldn’t afford food but God, through various people, we were able to solve that mystery and today, the story is long.
“Today, I feel much fulfilled watching my mother go home the way she wants it. She always tell me that there will be joy when she dies and now, it is exactly the way it is.
“Mama, apart from being a single, entertainer, a dancer, she was a porter. In that that art, she taught me how to be honest, how to be sincere and how to work hard because if you are not hardworking, you cannot do the business of pottery. And so, we got all of that from her and now she is going home, we are sure that we are going to transmit these same virtues which are not taught in school, we will transmit it to her grandchildren.
“Everyone in life has the junction of change where everything turns around. That happened when I was privileged to be granted scholarship by Senator Anyim Pius Anyim. The best gift anyone can give you is education. If a man buys you beer, within 24 hours, you are going to pass it out. If a man buys you cloth, within years, the cloth will become old, if a man buys a car, matter of five years, new ones will come out but if a man gives you education, you will transmit the same to others. I was among the 200 that were granted scholarship by Senator Anyim Pius Anyim. That helped me a great deal to study Medicine and become a Medical Doctor.
“That gift I got from our leader, I really appreciate it and I have decided to be giving it out the same way. Altogether in our programme since I graduated, I have trained 46 people in the university but today, something remarkable is going to happen”, he stated
He noted that he has donted the N50million contributed by his friends,clubs and associates for the burial of his late mum to scholarship which girls mostly will benefit from it and that the scholarship will go beyond the state
“In the course of preparing Mama’s burial, my friends, different committees were formed and they started donating money just to support Mama, Mama’s burial, Mama’s funeral, Mama’s funeral. The information I have is that over N50million have been put together for this event by my friends and associates, clubs and good spirited Nigerians but I know that God has provided what will take Mama’s event to the level that she expected it. So, I discussed with my wife and we decided that all that contribution, we will use it to train the children of the poor.
“So, we are going to go beyond Ishiagu and beyond Ebonyi. We will commit the entire fund, over N50million on scholarship in appreciation for Mama’s life. In particular, more women will benefit from that scholarship programme, more girls because when you train a woman, the ripple effect is too magnanimous, is too much, is overwhelming. She will marry a better person, she will walk into a greater environment and she will have the opportunity to turn things around.
“Therefore, as I stand on this altar which the Lord built through me, for as long as I live, I will fulfill this promise and I know St. James will be first beneficiary”, he stated.
In his sermon at the funeral, former Parish Priest of St. James Catholic Church, Rev. Fr. Philemon Okoro described Osi and his late mum as hope of poor.
He disclosed that Osi has built 10 more new houses for the homeless in support of his mother’s advice when she was alive to always help the poor as she would not want people around him to pass through what they suffered.