…Over 3,000 receive gift items as 10 girls awarded scholarships

By Chinedu Adonu

It was a day marked by emotion, reflection and renewed hope at Ibagwa Ani in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, as the children of the late Mrs Monica Anwueke Ezeah, fondly known as Mama Ejima Ezeah, formally launched a foundation in her honour.

At the crowded field of Community Primary School, Ibagwa Ani, family members, community leaders, students and well-wishers gathered to witness the inauguration of the Late Mama Ejima Ezeah Foundation, a platform established to sustain her legacy of sacrifice and commitment to education, particularly for the girl child.

Speaking at the event, Mrs Nkiruka Onah, founder and Chief Executive of the foundation and one of Mama Ejima’s daughters, recounted the painful story of how their mother struggled relentlessly to educate her children despite poverty and social discrimination.

“Our mother was not born into privilege,” she said. “She had no wealth or formal education, but she believed strongly that education could break every barrier. She sold vegetables and bitter leaves. When that was not enough, she plucked oranges herself and transported them to Enugu to sell. Later, she began trading palm oil in Suleja, Niger State, all in a bid to keep us in school.”

Mrs Onah recalled that their mother faced ridicule for giving birth to mostly girls at a time when the girl child was undervalued. According to her, even after their mother’s death, they encountered resistance from people who felt educating girls was a waste.

In an emotional moment, she narrated how their mother died in a road accident along the Abuja Road while travelling to sell palm oil in Suleja to support their education.

“We were told her last words were, ‘Who will train my children?’ That question has never left us,” she said, her voice breaking. “Today, this foundation is our answer. Her sacrifice was not in vain.”

She explained that the foundation was created to ensure that no girl is denied education because of poverty, rejection or loss of parents.

According to her, the scholarship programme will begin with 10 female students, particularly girls who have lost one or both parents or whose families cannot afford to pay school fees. The number, she said, would be reviewed in subsequent years.

“This is not born out of abundance but out of purpose,” she added. “We may not change the whole world at once, but we can change one girl’s world at a time.”

Beyond scholarships, the foundation also distributed gift items to more than 3,000 beneficiaries, including students, widows and other vulnerable members of the community. Items shared included bags of rice, umbrellas, school bags, notebooks, pens, water bottles and laptops.

Listen to her emotional address;

“Today is not just an inauguration.
It is a remembrance. It is a declaration. It is a promise fulfilled in honor of our beloved late mother.
Standing here today to speak about the Late Mama Ejima Ezeah Foundation is one of the most emotional moments of our lives. Yet we stand before you not broken by grief but strengthened by purpose.

“This moment is bigger than our pain. It is about legacy. It is about dignity. It is about rewriting a story that once tried to silence us.

“On June 28, 2026, it will be exactly 34 years since we lost our beloved late mother, Late Monica Anwueke Ezeah. Thirty-four years and yet, not a single day has passed without her voice echoing in our hearts.
Our beloved late mother was not born into privilege. She did not inherit wealth, influence, or formal education. But she possessed something far greater, resilience. Courage, and an unshakeable belief that education could break any chain.

“In our beloved late mother’s early years in business, our beloved late mother traded vegetables and bitter leaves to survive. When that was not enough, our beloved late mother bought oranges still hanging on trees, plucked them with her own hands, bagged them, and transported them to New Market in Enugu to sell.

“I followed our beloved late mother to farms in Okpuje and Okwutu. I climbed orange trees as a little girl while our beloved late mother gathered the fruits in bags. There was no shame in her struggle, only dignity and determination. But beyond the hardship of poverty was another battle, the burden of being a woman who gave birth to mostly girls.

“Many of you may be wondering today why this foundation focuses specifically on girl child education. Some may leave here still carrying that question. Let us answer it clearly.

“Our beloved late mother gave birth to eight children: six daughters, our little brother and our late step brother, among us, two sets of female twins. This happened at a time when the girl child was seen as less valuable, less worthy, less deserving. She was mocked. She was labeled “the vine that produces only what it always produces.” And when she died, that label did not die with her. It lingered over us.

“In seeking support for our education, we were told repeatedly that educating girls was not important. Those who could help refused. We were called girls who should not be trained. But our beloved late mother refused to accept that verdict even after death.

“Our beloved late mother changed businesses repeatedly, searching for any opportunity that could keep us in school. And through every struggle, one message never changed: “Choose education because Education is power. Education is freedom. Education is light”. The price of education is cheaper than the cost of illiteracy. “Those words became our inheritance.

“In our beloved late mother’s final effort to sustain our education, she began trading palm oil in Suleja, Niger State. On one visiting day at Community Secondary School, Isienu Nsukka, our late beloved mother came with food, provisions, and encouragement. She looked at us and said again, “Focus. I did not have an education. You must have it. That was the last time we saw our beloved late mother alive.

“Days later, our beloved late mother died in a motor accident along Abuja Road while traveling to sell her palm oil in Suleja. We were told that her last words were, “Who will train my children?” I did not understand the permanence of death. I slept on our beloved late mother’s grave, crying, waiting for her to wake up and wipe my tears. But She never did.

“Life became hard. Painful and Uncertain. But our beloved late mother’s words never died. And today, we stand as living proof that her sacrifice was not in vain. This foundation is built to honor our beloved late mother, her resilience, her dignity, her sacrifice, and the life she gave while struggling to fund our education. This Foundation is born from pain, built on love, and driven by purpose.

“To every girl child sitting here today, hear us clearly: You will not be us. You will not carry unanswered questions about your worth.
You will not be told your education does not matter. You will not be denied because you are a girl child.

“Through dedicated support and an unrelenting commitment to your individual and collective growth, we declare that your story will be different. Map today your gloomy path into a golden future. Today, we proudly announce the scholarship program of the Late Mama Ejima Ezeah Foundation.

“This scholarship Program is not BORNE from “Abundance” but from the desire to carry our beloved late mother’s legacies forward. This scholarship is dedicated to every intelligent, hardworking girl child in our community and beyond who possesses the ability to succeed academically but lacks the financial means to pursue higher education”.

Traditional ruler of Ibagwa Ani, HRM Igwe Syril Asogwa, commended the family for what he described as an unprecedented initiative in the community.

“This is the first programme of its kind since I became Igwe,” he said. “Empowering the girl child is empowering the community. We must discourage practices that deny girls education. When a woman is educated, the whole family benefits.”

One of the student beneficiaries, Miss Ugo Chinaze Confidence of St Andrew’s Secondary School, Ibagwa Ani, described the event as enlightening and inspiring.

“I am happy to be part of this programme,” she said. “It has opened our eyes to the importance of education, especially for girls. I encourage my fellow girls not to give up, no matter the challenges.”

Also speaking, Dr. Mrs. Justina Idoko Nnee Ezeah and Lolo Ogochukwu Abugu stated that the foundation was established to empower girls and shape their future in honor of the legacy of Late Mama Ejima Ezeah, their mother.

According to them, She suffered stigmatization for having mostly girl children and tragically died in a motor accident while struggling to train them.

They urged parents to give every child equal opportunities, emphasizing that women are the light of every family and must be educated, saying that educating girls can significantly help reduce poverty in society.

“We have endured suffering because we were born to a woman who had several girl children. We were hated by people, and our mother died in a road accident while trying to train us. That is why we have decided that as long as we can afford extra meals, we will assist every less privileged girl child,” they said. 

The event also featured a debate competition between Community Secondary School, Ibagwa Ani and St Andrew’s Secondary School, adding an academic highlight to the ceremony.

For the Ezeah family, however, the day was more than a public event. It was a solemn remembrance and a declaration that the struggles of a determined mother who once asked, “Who will train my children?” would now inspire hope for generations of girls to come.