As part of initiatives to mark the 2025 Children’s Day celebration, the Denam Charity Foundation has awarded two-year full-tuition scholarships to 30 students of Government Day Secondary School, Dutse Alhaji, in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Under the scholarship, the selected students, drawn from Senior Secondary classes one and two, will also have their West African Senior School Certificate Examination fees paid.

Speaking during a presentation ceremony, the Chairman of Denham Group, Linus Okorie, said the initiative was part of the foundation’s corporate social responsibility.

He explained that the beneficiaries were selected after a screening process which ascertained academic ability.

“What has brought us here today is not the business side of Denham Group, but the work of our Charity Foundation,” he said. “As a successful company, we believe our surrounding community should share in that success.”

He stressed that the scholarship would cover two years of tuition and examination fees, including the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

“It gives me great pleasure to be here to present the scholarship to these 30 students who are here. This is an academic scholarship because they were tested and they met the marks that we had stipulated. And therefore, they were selected.

“A better life is certainly possible for all of you, and that is what we are here to emphasise,” he told the students. “Paying school fees should no longer be a barrier to completing your education. You have no excuse now not to finish your secondary school.”

Okorie, a former executive of a global pharmaceutical company, encouraged the students to remain focused, assuring that the foundation would monitor their progress.

“Each of you must believe in your dreams of a brighter future. It is up to you to work hard to make it happen. We are here to support you, and we will continue to monitor your progress to ensure you stay on track.

This programme cost us about N5m, but it is not about the money. We are even prepared to spend more, and as the company grows, we can do more from our profits.

“I believe that education is the most transformative force for personal growth and development. Lack of education is strongly linked to poverty and, in many cases, criminal behaviour. A good education not only opens doors, it keeps you away from the dangers of a failed future,” he said.

In his remarks, the principal of GDSS Dutse Alhaji, Balogun Emmanuel, appreciated the gesture as not only timely but also spiritually significant.

Balogun said, “I’ve always maintained that anyone who touches God’s heritage touches God for good. What you have done today is not an act of charity alone; it is a seed sown into eternity.

“You have done well to God’s heritage. You have done it for the Almighty Himself. And I say this from the depth of my heart to everyone here: when generations after you continue to enjoy blessings, favour, and greatness, they will trace it back to this seed you have planted.”