Edith Okowa Adopts 50 UNIDEL Students, Commits N10m to Annual Education Support

Okowa announced the initiative on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, during a visit to the university’s Agbor campus, where she presented N200,000 to each of the beneficiaries, bringing the immediate financial intervention to N10 million.

Under the arrangement, the 50 students will receive N200,000 annually until graduation, while the foundation says it will monitor their academic and social progress.

The intervention brings education into the O5 Foundation’s wider humanitarian activities, which have previously focused on healthcare, support for vulnerable people and assistance to inmates. The foundation’s earlier work has included sickle-cell interventions and free eye-care programmes in Delta State.

Okowa said the foundation, established in 2015, was built around the principle of reaching people in need, adding that the decision to include students was driven by the financial pressures confronting families trying to keep their children in higher education.

She said the beneficiaries would not merely receive a one-off payment but would be regarded as adoptees of the foundation throughout their university education.

The initiative comes at a time when the cost of tertiary education continues to place pressure on students and families, making interventions that help vulnerable students remain in school a significant public-interest issue.

Welcoming Okowa to the university, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Eric Chiedum Eboh, thanked the O5 Foundation for the N10 million commitment and commended the process used in selecting the beneficiaries.

Eboh said the intervention complemented UNIDEL’s RAISE UNIDEL programme, particularly its emphasis on creating conditions that enable students to develop academically and personally.

The beneficiaries were drawn from different departments of the university, with the formal presentation of N200,000 cheques forming the major highlight of the event.

Speaking on behalf of the students, Nelson Egbudu, a 300-level Animal Science student, described the assistance as timely, particularly coming shortly after the commencement of the 2026/2027 academic session.

He said the beneficiaries would use the funds responsibly and expressed hope that the intervention would encourage further support for students facing financial difficulties.

The event was attended by UNIDEL Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Patrick Ijeh; representatives of the chairmen of Ika South and Ika North East Local Government Areas; senior university officials and members of the O5 Foundation.