Dangote Industries having the knowledge of education being the bedrock of development as continued to improve on the country’s educational system.
The importance of education cannot be overemphasised as development thrives on literacy. Also, research has shown that only a properly educated workforce and entrepreneurial class will have the skills and drive to thrive as new technologies change the nature of work, leisure, the environment, and society and to tackle the continent’s most pressing challenges.
Also, the growth of any society is dependent on the level of education of its citizens. As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes, Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Dangote Fertiliser Limited has awarded scholarships to 460 students of secondary schools and tertiary institutions from its host communities in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos state.
The company said the scholarship has become an annual event meant to contribute to the educational development of the people and position them rightly in the scheme of things in Lagos state and Nigeria in general.
The scholarships were presented to 443 secondary school students and 17 tertiary institution students from its host communities around Ibeju-Lekki.
Group executive director, Strategy, Capital Projects and Portfolio Development, Dangote Group, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, presented the scholarships to beneficiaries yesterday at an event attended by traditional rulers and government officials in Lagos state.
Edwin said the Dangote Group believes that education is the passport to the future and that an investment in knowledge yields the greatest dividends for mankind.
He said the company has over the years supported the Nigerian educational sector by instituting scholarship award programmes.
According to him, this is part of the company’s education intervention initiative for indigenous students of host communities impacted by its businesses.
“In 2019, we executed a pilot of the scholarship programme where 51 secondary school students from our 15 host communities here in Ibeju Lekki were awarded. However, we could not hold the second edition in the year 2020 due to the incidence of COVID-19 and its associated effects not only on businesses but on every household.
“In 2021, 118 secondary school students and 19 tertiary institution students from our host communities were awarded scholarships and after a rigorous screening process this year, 443 secondary school students and 17 tertiary institution students have qualified for the scholarship award.”
While congratulating the beneficiaries, he enjoined them to continue to work hard at their studies, strive to achieve excellence in all that they do, and never stop giving their best, saying “your achievements are a testament to your determination, perseverance, and commitment to excellence, and we are honoured to celebrate your success with you today.”
Edwin encouraged the awardees to make the most of the opportunities and to always strive for excellence, adding that “remember that your education is a gift, and it is up to you to make the most of it. Take advantage of every opportunity to learn and grow, and do not be afraid to take risks.
“We are proud to support your education and future endeavors, and we look forward to seeing all that you will accomplish in the years ahead. Congratulations again to all our scholars.
“With the continuous support of the people and the Lagos State Government, we shall not relent in our efforts to be socially accountable while we positively impact our host communities. We look forward to a continuous peaceful and rewarding relationship with our host communities in Ibeju Lekki.”
On his part, the traditional ruler of Lekki, Onilekki of Lekki Land, Oba (King) Liasim Ogunbekun said that the programme was a blessing to the community and gave kudos to the Dangote Group.
“We appreciate Dangote Group because this is not their first time but their third scholarship edition to the host communities in Ibeju Lekki. I urge the beneficiaries to put in more effort in their academic pursuit and justify the amount being paid for the scholarship. We thank the Dangote Group because a lot of improvement have been recorded in the lives of the participants,” Ogunbekun said.
One of the beneficiaries of the City & Guilds Engineering training programme, Raheem Olukayode thanked Dangote Group for the opportunity to study, become an engineer and impact positively to the society.
“The training has been beneficiary because it supports the less privilege who are interested in furthering theirneducation achieve their dreams in spite of financial challenges.
“The programme is simply going to positively affect the development of Ibeju-Lekki in future because we are going to have more engineers emerging from this area.
“We were told that after level three training, the best of us will be given job opportunity to work with Dangote Group so we are encouraged to give our best to win the slot,” Olukayode said.
Also, the head girl of Community Senior High School, Magbon Segun, Ibeju Lekki, Sano Omolere said that the scholarship had assisted their parents in supporting their education, saying for instance, some students have relented in their effort to further in their education because of lack of money.
“However, this scholarship has supported our parents provide us with school fees and books that have encouraged a lot of us to do better in class,” the head girl said.
Meanwhile, Aliko Dangote Foundation, which was established as a charitable foundation in 1994 by Aliko Dangote, has a mandate to realize Aliko Dangote’s vision of an Africa whose people are healthier, better educated, and more empowered. A shift towards Africans helping Africans and Africans contributing even more to the world. The mission of the Foundation is to enhance opportunities for social change through strategic investments that improve health and wellbeing, promote quality education and broaden empowerment opportunities for individuals and communities.
Dangote Oil Refinery is a 650,000 barrels per day (BPD) integrated refinery project under construction in the Lekki Free Zone near Lagos, Nigeria. It is expected to be Africa’s biggest oil refinery and the world’s biggest single-train facility.
The Pipeline Infrastructure at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery is the largest anywhere in the world, with 1,100 kilometers to handle 3 Billion Standard Cubic Foot of gas per day. The Refinery alone has a 435MW Power Plant that is able to meet the total power requirement of Ibadan DisCo.
The Refinery will meet 100 per cent of the Nigerian requirement of all refined products and also have a surplus of each of these products for export. Dangote Petroleum Refinery is a multi-billion-dollar project that will create a market for $21 billion per annum of Nigerian Crude. It is designed to process Nigerian crude with the ability to also process other crudes.
