Founder and General Overseer of Omega Power Ministry (OPM) Worldwide, Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere, has bagged the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) “Icon of Free Education Award”.
According to OPM’s Head of Media, Mr Frank Emenike, the award was given to Apostle Chinyere on Sunday as a result of his commitment to the education of the less privileged children.
He said that the commitment followed the eleven free schools constructed by the OPM founder in Bayelsa, Rivers and Abia.
“Another free school is presently being constructed in Kaduna to ensure the less privileged in that part of the country benefit from this gesture,” Emenike said in a statement.
Mr Robin Nwokocha, Chairman of NANS, Rivers chapter, who presented the award to Apostle Chinyere on behalf of the national president, said the award came after a national meeting held at Ken Saro Wiwa Polytechnic.
“NANS is responsible for fighting for the right of Nigerian students and embracing the welfare of student from nursery to tertiary level.
“We held a national meeting and after numerous investigations and pondering, it was concluded that Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere was to be given the Award of an Icon of Free Education.
“This is in recognition of his uncountable contribution to the development of the educational sector in Rivers State and Nigeria at large,” the statement quoted Nwokocha as saying.
Apostle Chibuzor, who appreciated NANS for the award said that apart from the free schools, the church had also given scholarships to five students studying in Canada.
He said three others are due to join before the end of the year.
The OPM founder said: “We also have a scholarship programme where we send undergraduate students to Canada to study; another three are due to travel soon.
“We also have a local scholarship for undergraduates here in Nigeria, because of this NANS leadership decided to give me an award of Icon of Free Education in Nigeria.
“I thank God for them; this is the first time NANS is recognising my impact in education for the less privileged where we give four pairs of school uniforms free to each person, free sandals and free feeding.
“We are working to make the free school in Kaduna because we need to spread to the North and once we are done with the construction, we will kick off.
“We are also constructing a free All-Girls Technical College, the first of its kind in Nigeria; we have All-Boys Technical College but we don’t have that of girls.
“So, we have acquired property of 62 plots and construction is ongoing and it will be ready before the end of the year.”
