By Ephraim Oseji

As part of activities to mark its 10th anniversary, Bukka Hut Restaurant has donated the sum of N500,000.00 and 2,500 exercise books to aid the education of less privileged children.

Presenting the cheque and books to an NGO, Sponsor A Child Through School Foundation (SACTS) at Bukka Hut’s corporate Head Office in Lekki, Lagos State, the Head of Operations, Mrs Victoria Oboh, disclosed that the gesture was in line with the company’s core values aimed at supporting students in secondary schools who have difficulty in paying tuition fees and accessing books needed for school as well as giving back to the society.

“The past 10 years has been an incredible journey for Bukka Hut and as a people-centric restaurant brand always looking for ways to impact lives and give back to the society, we thought of this initiative as a way of extending our support to the educational needs of the less-privileged children, having recognized the rising number of out-of-school children,” Mrs Oboh said.

She further disclosed that the company engaged in a similar outreach for its staff by granting scholarships to junior staff as well as the children of single mothers who desired to further their education but could not afford it.

The Chief Operating Officer of SACTS, Mrs Nike Richie-Ogbodu, who received the donation on behalf of the NGO, stated that the funds would be used to sponsor five students at Miracle Land School, Jakande, Lagos State, to complete their secondary school education while the exercise books would be distributed to other schools in Lagos and Abuja.

In her remark, Mrs Richie-Ogbodu expressed gratitude to Bukka Hut stating that the NGO was a registered Foundation that is transparent and accountable to its donors and partners.

According to her, “What we’re doing as an NGO is a response to the increasing number of out-of-school children in the country. We don’t only source tuition for these disadvantaged children, we also engage with the school by organizing career seminars and vocational training to equip the pupils with skills to make them self-sufficient,” the Foundation’s COO said.

Bukka Hut Restaurant opened its doors to customers in August 2011 on Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1. The restaurant now has 12 operational outlets in different parts of Lagos.