The Tola Olukilede Foundation and Heal the Word Movement have concluded plans to commence free distribution of English and Mathematics textbooks to indigent secondary school students preparing for the West African School Certificate Examination across Nigeria, starting with Ondo State, the home state of the organisations’ founder.
Announcing this to the media at the official unveiling of 2,000 textbooks already procured for this purpose at its corporate head-office in Ota, Ogun State, Apostle Dr. Tola Olukilede said the project was inspired by a divine mandate to his non-denominational love movement to expand beyond its previous mandate of providing scholarship for orphans and indigent students, by also “supporting the students practically and physically.”
“Our aim primarily since 1999, has been to educate the orphaned children and the needy, for whom education may be out of reach, and to give them hope. We also minister to the widowed and the aged by giving them assistance one way or the other. Ours is a covenant of giving, as enshrined in the Bible. God gave us a mandate in 2023 that we should aside the regular scholarship, establish the pillars. Apart from just paying school fees, we should go ahead and support the students practically and physically. And we are taking this measure to start from giving them books, because students need books. So we decided to start giving books especially relevant books to students that are preparing for their WAEC. And this will be starting from Ondo State, because I’m an indigene of Ondo and I know the problem being faced by students, especially from my home town, Ilaramokin.”
He added: “We are focusing on these two subjects because they are the foundation required for furthering to higher institutions and any student who can pass these two can manouvre himself through other subjects.”
He disclosed that the gesture will take-off from his alma mater, Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure, Ondo State, where he was of the 1974-79 set (1,500 books) and then proceed to Apostolic High School and Community Comprehensive High School, both in Ilaramokin, Ondo State.
Next, he said, the foundation plans to provide school uniforms and shoes to students whose parents are not able to afford it due to the prevailing economic hardship in the country.
Olukilede feels a compelling need to make the sacrifice to bridge these gaps, because such children, if not attended to, may eventually become problem to the nation.
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