The Lateefah Moyosore Durosinmi Foundation (LMDF) has presented grants worth N4.25 million as scholarships and empowerment to students and women in Ile Ife, Osun State.
A total of 41 pupils received N20,000 bursaries with school bags each, while one at tertiary student got N1.2 million scholarship.
Also, 31 women got N80,000 each to boost their trades, while 5 others received laptop, grinding machines, corn millers, sewing machines and popcorn machines as empowerments.
LMDF was established in 2012 by Prof. Lateefah Durosinmi, former Dean, Students Affairs, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife.
Presenting the grants, Durosinmi said the scholarships to students and grants to women in small scale businesses were the foundation’s modest contributions to humanity.
She said that youths could not make positive contributions to national development if not given opportunity to do so.
“We must altogether assist our youths to achieve their full potentials by creating the enabling environment for them.
“We must do all we can to increase the opportunity of women to grow, to defend, protect, and facilitate children’s sound, physical and psychological development through promotion of activities to alleviate poverty.
“In view of the current economic situation, the foundation further increased the value of the grants for meaningful impact, in addition to some empowerment equipment,” she said.
She urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the funds and the equipment given to them for betterment of their future.
Durosinmi thanked regular donors to the foundation like Alhaji Muritala Adeniji of Starlink Global and Ideal Ltd and Alhaji Olaniyi Yusuf.
Earlier in her welcome address, Chairperson, Board of Trustees, LMD Foundation, Prof. Fatimah Abdulkareem, said the foundation would continue raising money to fund the scholarship and grants to women for economic empowerment.
Also, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, appealed to benevolent Nigerians to assist the less privileged for them to have brighter future.
Agboke who spoke on: “Human development and accountability,” appreciated the philanthropic spirit of Durosinmi.
He said that empowering people from her meagre stipends would put smiles on faces of the needy.
According to him, what the masses need from the political class is not much, but just to provide basic amenities that will make life more meaningful to all.
“You don’t need to be a politician before empowering people who are in need just like what Prof. Durosinmi is doing.
“What we should be conscious of now is life after death because it will take the grace of God to live extra 30 years from today.
“And it should always echoe in our ears that, there is reward for everything we are doing on earth because we would face judgment from God,” he stated.
He counselled all and sundry to emulate the good gestures of the foundation by coming to the aid of the needy in the society.
Chairman of the ocassion, Ishaq Amoo, a Professor of Analytical Chemistry, lauded Durosinmi for being an upright person who believed in better life for all.
He urged all, irrespective of the size of our pocket, to always assist those in needs
