A renowned philanthropist, Ambassador Hadiza Mamman Vatsa, has paid the school fees of 65 students of the University of Abuja.
The beneficiaries including orphans and other class of the less privileged who struggle with their education finances had their school fees paid to the amazement of all who applauded the humanitarian gestures of the Ambassador.
She made the offer to the students at the university across different faculties, through her foundation, the Hajiya Hadiza Mamman Vatsa Foundation, saying service to humanity which has been an integral part of her life is service to God.
I have initiated this since a very long time but I decided to stay low-key, and sometimes I don‘t want people to recognize me or say that I‘m doing this or that.
I believe that I‘m doing this for God. It is not how many billions or trillions you have, do you have the heart to give? That is what I have,“ she said.
The former majority leader of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon Murtar Baje and head, Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Abuja, Professor Sharif Ghalihu Ibrahim, described her philanthropic gesture as one worthy of emulation.
Baje said Hadiza‘s foundation serves as a shining light for others to follow.
We should emulate good people like Hajiya Hadiza Mamman Vatsa. She has been doing this for so many years, she has passion for it. My advice to everyone out there, that has the opportunity and the means is to emulate her,“ he said.
For Professor Ibrahim, Hadiza‘s support to the students of the university was a pleasant surprise and rare gift to the institution of learning, adding that building the lives of others through scholarship would have ripple effects on the larger society in the long-run.
„Other students have also come to felicitate with the beneficiaries as well as learn from this particular humanitarian gesture so that they can also contribute to the society as well as to the less privileged. So this is the major lesson learned on this particular occasion,“ he said.
In his remarks, the vice chancellor of the University of Abuja, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na‘Allah, while thanking the philanthropist for her selfless service to mankind and commitment to the institution in particular, urged the beneficiaries to maximise the offer, noting that government cannot fund education alone.
„You who are going to be beneficiaries of this, know that to whom much is given much is expected. Be good students, demonstrate commitment to scholarship and character.
„If anybody tells you that government is the only source for public education, that‘s a liar. The best of universities in the world that are public universities like Cambridge, if you find out, government may probably be responsible for 30% of their funding,“ he stated.
