LMDF Gives Scholarships, Empowerment Grants Worth Over N4m to Students, Women in Osun

A nongovernmental organisation, Lateefah Moyosore Durosinmi Foundation (LMDF) on Friday in Ile-Ife, Osun State, awarded scholarship and empowerment grants worth N4.25 million to students and women.

A total of 41 pupils received N20,000 bursaries with school bags each, while one tertiary student got N1,212,800 scholarship.

Also, 31 women got N80,000 each to boost their trades, while 5 others received laptop, grinding machine, corn milling, sewing machine and popcorn machines as empowerments.

The LMDF was established in 2012 by Prof. Lateefah Durosinmi, Former Dean Student Affairs, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife.

Presenting the grants, Durosinmi said that the scholarships to students and grants to women in small scale business were the Foundation's modest contributions to humanity. 

She said that youths cannot make positive contributions to national development if not given opportunity to do so. 

"We must altogether assist our youths to achieve their full potentials by creating the enabling environment for them.

"We must do all we can to increase the opportunity of women to grow, to defend, protect, and facilitate children's sound, physical and psychological development through promotion of activities to alleviate poverty.

"In view of the current economic situation, the foundation further increase the value of the grants for meaningful impact in addition to some empowerment equipment," she said.

She urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the funds and the equipments given them for betterment of their future.

Durosinmi thanked regular donors to the foundation like Alhaji Muritala Adeniji of Starlink Global and Ideal Ltd and Alhaji Olaniyi Yusuf.

Earlier in her welcome address, Chairperson, Board of Trustees, LMD Foundation, Prof. Fatimah Abdulkareem, said that the foundation would continue raising money to fund the scholarship and grants to women for economic empowerment.

Also speaking, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, appealed to benevolent Nigerians to assist the less privileged for them to have brighter future.

Agboke who who, spoke on: 'HUMAN DEVELOPMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY', appreciated the philanthropical spirit of Durosinmi.

He said that empowering people from her meagre stipends would put smiles on faces of the needy.

According to him, what the masses needs from our political class is not much, but just to provide basic amenities that would make life more meaningful to all.

"You don't need to be a politician before empowering people who are in need just like what Prof. Durosinmi is doing.

"What we should be conscious of now is life after death because it will takes the grace of God to live extra thirty years from today.

"And it should always echoes in our ears that, there is reward for everything we are doing on earth because we would face judgement from God," he stated.

He counselled all and sundry to emulate the good gesture of the Foundation by coming to the aid of the needy in the society.

The Chairman of the ocassion, Ishaq Amoo, a Professor of Analytical Chemistry, lauded Durosinmi for being an upright person who wants better life for all.

He urged people to always assist the needy around them in whatever little way they can.