A young Nigerian author, Chidera Ikeoha, has been awarded a lifetime scholarship for his determination and passion for education.
Chidera, a Junior Secondary School 2 (JSS 2) student from Eastern Nigeria, wrote and published his first book, Two Friends, while still in primary school.
Despite his young age, he took it upon himself to market and sell his book, even going to motor parks in Enugu, Nigeria, to raise money for his education.
Chidera’s efforts caught the attention of a passenger who, impressed by his dedication, shared his story on social media. The post quickly went viral, attracting widespread admiration and support.
One of those who noticed Chidera’s story was Alex Onyia, the CEO of EDUCARE, an education-focused organization. Inspired by the boy’s resilience and commitment, Onyia decided to award Chidera a lifetime scholarship to support his education.
Additionally, EDUCARE has also offered to publish his book on Amazon and provide him with full academic support. He also helped raise money by selling some of his books and the funds were handed over to his parents to support Chidera needs.
”This funds will be given to his parents. Additionally, we will take him out of motor parks selling books so he can focus on his studies. I will like to offer him full academic support. Let’s hope he reaches his full potential,” Alex said.
With this opportunity, the EDUCARE CEO hopes Chidera can now focus on his education and writing career without the burden of selling books to fund his schooling.
In another story, a young Nigerian boy named Ugwu Chibuzo Augustus who sells pure water to support his family has scored 309 in the 2024 Joint Admission Matriculation Board examination and was awarded a full scholarship to university.
Augustus dropped out of school in 2022 to start selling pure water due to financial challenges according to Alex Onyia, the founder of Educare, an organisation that prepares candidates for UTME.
Alex stated that he convinced Augustus to join his JAM preparatory classes with a promise that he would get a scholarship if he scored above 300. Augustus took up the challenge and he scored an excellent grade in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.