A non-profit organisation, an educational-based foundation in Rivers State, “Prof Owen T. Adikibi Scholarship Foundation (POTAF) has awarded scholoarships to two students of University of Port Harcourt and University of Uyo as part of its effort to contribute to the development of education in the country, as well as to assist indigent families in the training of their children in higher institution.
The Chairman of POTAF, Dr Tonye Adikibi, disclosed this while speaking at the award ceremony over the weekend in Port Harcourt, and explained that this year’s award has brought the number of the beneficiaries to six, since the inception of the programme four years ago.
According to him, “the objective of POTAF is to give back to the society, to help impoverish families that are not able to send their children to the university do so through POTAF way of giving back to the society.
“My dad had a rocky education while growing up as a child and that was one of the reasons he aligned with my dream about running a foundation that would impact positively on the society because he was one of the beneficiaries of the Shell Scholarship when he was younger. As result, he appreciates and understands what it means to have that kind of assistance,” he added.
He hinted that POTAF did not discriminate and as such did not limit the scholarship to only Rivers indigenes, but to all brilliant students across the country and that was why this year’s two beneficiaries of POTAF were from University of Uyo, Petroleum Engineering, Godwin Dickson and University of Port Harcourt, Medicine and Surgery, Ogbu Chimereze Dominic, adding that the scholarship scheme is the third edition of the POTAF initiated to encourage academic excellence among students willing to enter in to the tertiary education.
Speaking also, Director of the foundation, Chief Kingsley Stanley, disclosed that the words POTAF are ‘Poverty should never stop anybody from going to school,’ adding that he respects the project a lot and prayed it out lived this generation and grew in leaves and bounds to impact positively on other generations adding that POTAF does not confined the initiative to his immediate environment, but to the entire Nigeria.
While charging beneficiaries to be focused, determined and to always be on their toes in order to overcome poverty he noted that poverty was not a hindrance to education, but lack of interest, while urging those out there without any hope of going to school to always put their trust in God, adding that help would come when they least expect it.
Responding, the beneficiaries Mr. Ogbu Chimereze Dominic promised to make the foundation proud by keeping the flag flying by ensuring he hits above 2.0 to 5.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), stressing that the scholarship has taken away the financial burden of his family.
Also speaking Godwin Dickson stated that the scholarship would enable them to advance their academic pursuit in life, adding that the POTAF was a reality it does not segregate and helpful to the less privilege ones in the society, while promising to make judicious use of the fund given to him and to be law-abiding in all his life’s endeavours.

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana