It was an atmosphere of relief amidst commendations after a renowned philanthropist, Ambassador Hadiza Mamman Vatsa settles the school fees of 65 students of the University of Abuja.
The beneficiaries ranging from orphans to other class of the less privileged who struggle with their education finances, had their school fees paid to the amazement of all who applauded the continuous humanitarian gestures of the Ambassador.
She made this offer to the students at the University across different faculties, through her Foundation, the Hajiya Hadiza Mamman Vatsa Foundation.
She said service to humanity which has been an integral part of her life is service to God.
“I have initiated this since a very long time but I decided to stay low-key, and sometimes I don’t want people to recognize me or say that I’m doing this or that.
“I believe that I’m doing this for God. It is not how many billions or trillions you have, do you have the heart to give? That is what I have,” she said.
Even as much as the great life of so many years of humanitarian service of Ambassador Hadiza makes no noise, many including the immediate past Kogi State House of Assembly majority leader, Honourable Murtar Baje and Head, Departatment of Political Science and International Relations, University of Abuja, Professor Sharif Ghalihu Ibrahim, described her philanthropic gesture as one worthy of emulation.
In separate reactions, Baje said Hadiza’s foundation where multitudes of the downtrodden lives had been uplifted, serves as a shining light for others to follow.
“We should emulate good people like Hajiya Hadiza Mammab Vatsa. She has been doing this for so many years, she has passion for it. My advice to everyone out there, that has the opportunity and have the means is to emulate her and do to the less privileged,” he said.
For professor Ibrahim, Hadiza’s support to the students of the University is a pleasant surprise and rare gift to institution of learning, adding that building the lives of others through scholarship would have ripple effects on the larger society in the long-run.
“Other students have also come to felicitate with the beneficiaries as well as learn from this particular humanitarian gesture so that they can also contribute to the society as well as to the less privileged. So this is the major lesson learned in this particular occasion,” he said.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, while thanking the philanthropist for her self-less service to the course of mankind, and commitment to the institution in particular, urged the recipients of the scholarship to maximise the offer, noting that government connot stand alone.
“..you who are going to be beneficiaries of this, know that to whom much is given much is expected. Be good students, demonstrate commitment to scholarship and character.”
“If anybody tells you that government is the only source for public education, that’s a liar. The best of Universities in the world that are public universities like Cambridge, if you find out, government may probably be responsible for 30% of their funding,” he said.
