Seventy beneficiaries of the Omega Power Ministries (OPM) scholarship programme, yesterday departed the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa for Cyprus to undertake various courses of studies in Final University.
The highly elated beneficiaries were decked in white and sky blue track suits, with white pairs of canvas to match.
Among them were a physically challenged person, Miss Harcourt Ruth Imaoyani, who hails from Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State; an only child of his parents, 18-year-old Master Daniel Okezie; and two sacked security guards of an eatery in Aba, Abia State as well as a blogger who brought their plight to limelight through the social media. One of the beneficiaries is also going to pursue a Master’s Degree in Political Science.
Some of the parents, loved ones, friends and well-wishers of the beneficiaries were on hand to bid them farewell, and some of them were seen shedding tears of joy and even praying for them.
Incidentally, the General Overseer of OPM, Apostle Chibuzor Gift Chinyere was very busy at the airport, shuttling from one point to the other, to ensure that the beneficiaries had a smooth and hitch-free trip.
Chinyere, while speaking with newsmen, gave an insight into his decision to extend the free school programme of OPM outside the shores of Nigeria by offering scholarships to young people.
According to him, he had observed that most of the graduates churned out of the country’s universities yearly, at the end of the day, do not secure gainful employment.
He said for this singular reason, he decided to go international, and expressed delight that the beneficiaries of the foreign scholarships sponsored from the church’s tithes and offerings, were doing pretty well.
The General Overseer further explained that the essence of sponsoring the beneficiaries abroad was for them to be able to help others after their graduation, and hinted that the church had fully paid the tuition fees of all the 70 beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries are heading to Cyprus to study courses like Nursing, Pharmacy, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Accounting, Banking and Finance, Computer Engineering, International Law, Software Engineering and Civil Engineering, among others.
Also speaking with newsmen, the Chairman of the Association of Persons with Disabilities, Rivers State Chapter, Mr Kie Obomanu thanked Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere for extending the scholarship gesture to a member of the association, Ruth, and appealed that more slots be given to persons with disabilities in the state in future, describing Apostle Chinyere as a wonderful man of God.
Obomanu equally appealed to the Rivers State Government to also remember members of the association in terms of provision of scholarships and political inclusion. He specifically thanked Governor Nyesom Wike for recently granting a N50 million lifeline and automatic employment to a member of the association who recently bagged a Doctorate Degree.
A mother of one of the beneficiaries, Mrs Chioma Beatrice Okezie said his only child, Daniel Okezie was barely one-year-old when his father, Fabian Nnamdi Ogam, who was a lecturer of Mathematics and Statistics at the Rivers State University died in 2005.
According to her, it was when she joined OPM in 2008 that Apostle Chinyere started catering for her and her only son uptill this day. Daniel will be 18 years in July.
While thanking the man of God profusely, she prayed God to grant him more blessings and long life.
It would be recalled that six other persons accompanied the beneficiaries on the trip to do business in Dubai under the sponsorship of OPM.

By: Donatus Ebi