By Sam Eyoboka and Olayinka Latona
SPURRED by the desire to plough back to the Nigerian society the numerous scholastic accomplishments within and outside the country, most of which was sponsored, and the need to create a better future for Nigerian youths and upcoming entrepreneurs, the founder of Hayford Alile Foundation (THAF) on Thursday said that it would assist indigent entrepreneurs and needy students to achieve their boundless dreams.

Prof. Hayford Alile, THAF’s founder and chairman, said at an interactive session in Lagos that the foundation has perfected plans to assist millions of less privileged entrepreneurs and intelligent but indigent students, if enough funds are available.

According to the 70-year-old pioneer Director-General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, the foundation was birthed with N30 million netted from the launch of his biography last year, “In the hand of God,” to assist Nigerians and indeed African children to achieve their dreams.

“It is my own way of contributing to the education system as well as the business sector to help those who had big dreams but are constrained by financial limitations both in Nigeria and Africa as a whole to achieve their dreams,” he said, stressing that the Foundation is therefore poised to assist Nigerians who are intelligent and are ready to work hard.

Reminiscencing on how he acquired education, Alile said that he would not have become a personality to reckon with today but for the providential intervention at several points in his life by way of scholarship and grants to complete his studies at both secondary and tertiary levels.

“When I gained admission to Loyola College, Ibadan, my father had no money to pay for my school fees and he had to sell his piece of land to pay and I am sure that he would not have been able to continue to pay my subsequent fees if I did not get a scholarship. As usual with returning students, I had routinely gone to check my pigeon hole when I saw an envelope labeled Benin Council.

Behold there was a letter offering me scholarship. So I would not be where I am today if not for such divine interventions,” he said.

The chairman said that the foundation would also support and identify with potential entrepreneurs by providing bankable business plans, financiers’ linkages, management and advisory services to realize their business dreams. THAT would assist them achieve their set objectives.

“Our mission statement is to support and empower gifted and less privileged students to attain their desired dreams and ambitions through scholarship, grants, training and networking in areas of education and entrepreneurship,” the founder said.

He said that the foundation’s goal was to assist and fund education through scholarships, bursaries and adversary services to African students, adding that it would help the talented but financially handicapped and as the case may be the physically disabled, to pursue and realize their aspirations.

Former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Chief Joseph Sanusi, advisory board and governing council member of the Foundation, stressed the need for private partners and other public spirited Nigerian stakeholders to fund the foundation because Nigeria’s education system, which has been so vilified in recent times, may well be better than those abroad.

He said that what Nigeria needed at this period, was to improve on its values because its educational standard was not as bad as people tend to portray it, pointing put that evidence abound of Nigerian students studying abroad find it difficult to adjust whenever they are confronted with certain local academic challenges.

Sanusi described Apostle Alile as a worthy Nigerian who could have ploughed the money realized from the book launch into his personal estate, saying that the foundation was ready to help entrepreneurs achieve their business plans and objectives so as to develop the Nigerian business society.

Also speaking, the chief executive officer of UTC Plc and a member of the Foundation’s advisory board, Dr. Folusho Olaniyan, said the foundation would help to set up entrepreneurs in their business plans for them to rise to the top.

She said that six people comprising of three students of the University of Benin, Benin City and three potential entrepreneurs have benefited from the foundation which was set up in 2010 and more would benefit as more funds are available to it towards the cause.