President Mohammadu Buhari represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geofrey Onyeama, Ghana President, Nana Adokufo, Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice-President Dr. Alex Ekwueme were among the dignitaries that graced the opening of the Rochas Foundation College for Africa and the 10th graduation Ceremony of Rochas Foundation College held at the Imo International Convention Centre (IICC) Owerri on Friday, September 29, 2017.
The governors of Oyo, Chief Abiola Ajimobi, Kebbi State, Senator Bagudu, Niger State, Abubakar Sani Bello and Akwa Ibom State, Chief Emmanuel Udom, were also in attendance, while the Ambassadors of Liberia, Sierralone, Guinea, Congo, Southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Zambia and others were also present.
President Mohammadu Buhari in his speech said that the greatest gift Governor Rochas Okorocha has given to humanity is the Charity he has displayed through his Foundation and identifying with the less-privileged in Nigeria and Africa through education.
The President, represented by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Geofrey Onyeama further remarked, “I salute your vision. What create the world of visionaries are people who are able to dream big and make a change. This is what we see in Governor Okorocha. Your free education across Africa will help to push for a greater African integration. So I expect the products of the Foundation to be agents of Unity and wealth Creation”.
The Ghana President, Nana Adoakufo said the reason for his close association with Rochas is because he shares in his Passion for development through education and his drive for a common vision of making education accessible to every Child irrespective of family or place, adding that Rochas has fulfilled the Scripture as in Matthew 25:40.
He explained that “education can change the fortunes of Africa. It is the equalizer of opportunities. We must all buy into the vision of a United Africa and the best way is through education”.
The former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in his own speech described Governor Okorocha as the most resourceful and focused man of his generation who has continued to surprise him with his visions every day, charging the graduating Students of the Foundation College to be Job Creators and not Job Seekers.
His words “I have come to share in the Rochas Okorocha vision on how to build African leaders of tomorrow so that they will grow up with African perspective, orientation and understanding, culture and integration because by the time we have Students in this School for 5 years, we will be having at least 25 Students from all African Countries. This will be the leaders of tomorrow, they will know themselves across Africa and when you talk about anything about Africa, they will understand and they will be the torch bearers and light of Africa”.
To the Children, he said “You are very lucky boys and girls. You have a wonderful opportunity here, opportunity of hope away from home, opportunity of mothers and fathers that you might have lost, opportunity of friends you might not have gotten and opportunity of greater future. My advise to you is to take advantage of every opportunity that this School will give you”.
He Continued “As the Chairman of Board, I have agreed with Rochas that we will have 5 Children from each African Country every year and Six from Nigeria, one from each of the Six geo-Political zones of Nigeria to balance the Political sensitivity of Nigeria”.
Governor Rochas Okorocha had told his visitors “My dream is to Unite and empower Africa through education. The only language we understand in Africa is the language of poverty and this is what bond me and these Children. I strongly believe that out of these poverty situation in Africa, the great leaders of tomorrow will emerge. I just started what I do not know how to complete but God will Continue to direct me”.
To the graduands, he stated “I pray you keep the Candle on when am gone. I tasted poverty and had sworn to fight the scourge with resources available to him. We have taken five Children from each of the African Countries, who are mostly orphans or less-privileged in addition to the over fifteen thousand Children already in the Rochas Foundation Colleges across the nation”.
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