BY KINGSLEY AZUH

THE Almighty God; the Omnipotent, Omniscience and Omnipresent have a way of making things work for better for those that are called by His name. He can change the fortune of His people within a twinkle of an eye through divine intervention.
In most cases, God uses those who rose from low background to positions of authority through hard work and trust in God to better the lives of the less privileged in the society. Education remains an important legacy that the society can offer to the youths of today for a better tomorrow.
The youths unarguably are the leaders of tomorrow and as such; need to be adequately equipped for the leadership roles they are expected to play in the future, and education is a veritable instrument for shaping the character and behavioural patterns of the youths.
Those who are genuinely interested in the welfare of the youths are seriously investing in their proper upbringing through education.
Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which the knowledge, skills and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training, or research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of others. It may also mean any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts. It can also be seen as the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.
Education is important because it equips the individual with all that is needed to make his dreams come true in life, and opens doors to brilliant career opportunities. It fetches better prospects in career and growth and becomes an eligibility criterion for employment in any sector of the economy.
It is an established fact that the number of indigent students far outnumbered that of students of rich parents, and this poses a great danger to the society. It is therefore heart-warming that some individuals are actually investing in the education and welfare of indigent students in our society.
One of such individuals is the Secretary to State Government, Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay who has been relentless in his assistance to the less privileged in the society.
The commendable aspect of it is that he extends this gesture outside the borders of his Isoko ethnic nationality. There is no gain saying the fact that Comrade Macaulay is a man who in all intent and purposes is building the society of tomorrow by building a foundation for the leaders of tomorrow, who are the youths of today.
His Elona Development Foundation/Educational Fund is the umbrella that those suffering from diseases and indigent students are given protective and prospective shelter.
The philanthropic wave of Macaulay is traversing the length and breadth of the State and recently, it made a stop at Abraka where it dropped a bunch of its magnanimity.
It was on the occasion of the 5th Annual Lecture/Iphieroho (Hope) Scholarship Award Ceremony for Public Primary School Pupils in Delta State held at Umiaghwa, Abraka, Ethiope East local government area.
On that day, the Secretary to the State Government, Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay, who gave a boost to the Educational Foundation Scholarship Award Programme,said that any investment on children’s future determines the future of the society.
The Secretary to the State Government who announced the scholarship to ten out of the 30 selected for the Foundation’s Scholarship award, said it was in support of the Proprietor of the Foundation, Madam Pamela Esiri, to lessen her burden, maintaining that education is the sin qua no for accelerated development in any society.
He gave the assurance that he would continue to work for the course of indigent students and the less privileged in the society through his Elona Development Foundation, which covers the areas of health, education and others.
Comrade Macaulay also in a surprised manner extended the scholarship award to an indigent student, Ogaga Ofejiro who was the best student in the scholarship exam but earlier rejected for no clear reason.
He announced a yearly scholarship package of three hundred thousand naira for Ogaga Ofejiro, who is entering Junior Secondary School in September this year, adding that as an intelligent indigent student, she should be supported to enable her excel in life.
Comrade Macaulay who commended the proprietor for helping to shape the life of the youths for the good of the society, maintained that he would continue to support those who are out to better the lives of the less privileged in the society, and called on all well-meaning people in the society to support the humanitarian work of Madam Pamela Esiri.
The SSG also noted that all the efforts of the State Government are geared towards securing a better future for the youths, and urged all to support the administration of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan.
Delivering the annual lecture with the Theme ‘bridging the gap: The MDGs’, the guest speaker, Dr. Otive Igbuzor of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, Abuja, said that development is a process that takes time to mature, adding that education is a process of development.
Dr. Igbuzo emphasised that long term planning and good policies are important for development and urged governments at all levels to ensure that correct policies are implemented for the benefit of the people.
He said that for any country to have a future that the coming generation would be proud off, it must prioritise agriculture, education and health, noting that the way forward was to ensure good leadership, putting merit and excellence into consideration; develop a workable blue print and ensure women and youth empowerment.
In her address, the Special Guest Speaker and Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary General on post 2015 Development Plan, Hajia Amina Mohammed, called on government at all levels to support the Millennium Development Goals for the betterment of the society.
Hajia Mohammed said that MDGs are targets set out to ensure that development is achieved in the different areas of life, adding that the eradication of extreme poverty is one of them, and commended Madam Esiri for taken the education of the youths as her priority.
Earlier in her address, the proprietor of the Foundation, Madam Pamela Esiri, said that the Foundation was set up in March 2007 to uplift the welfare of indigent children in Delta State, emphasising that the Foundation also engages in leadership training of the child as a way of promoting the development and the total personality of the indigent child.
Madam Esiri called on well- to – do individuals in the society to support the Foundation in the development of the child, adding that they need intervention to be able to succeed.The ceremony was rounded off with the presentation of scholarship award to the recipients by the Secretary to the State Government, Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay.