By Bashir Adefaka

THE Charles Bebeye Ndiomu Foundation, commemorating this year’s armed forces remembrance day with the Federal Government and particularly the Nigerian Armed Forces, in Lagos on Thursday, distributed scholarships to children of some of the deceased ranks and files of the Nigerian armed forces whose condition needed to be attended to due to the absence of their bread winners.

This was described as an effort by the family of Major General Charles Bebeye Ndiomu to immortalise the late military top brass through alleviation of pains and sufferings of the needy.

Managing Director, Vetiva Trustees Limited, trustee managers for the foundation, Mrs. Ifeoma Udom, explained that the programme, introduced during the armed forces remembrance day of 2014, was a social responsibility in memory of the late Major General.

She said; “Among a number of initiatives aimed at improving the standard of education and accessibility to quality education by the less privileged in society, the foundation has put in place this scheme in honour of our fallen heroes.

“The scheme is particularly aimed at giving back to the families of deceased armed forces personnel who lost their lives in the service of the nation, by awarding scholarships to children of such families annually.”

Udom said this year’s edition received 25 application forms of which 21 candidates were shortlisted and 11 applicants scaled through the screening process based solely on academic excellence.

“Three of the 11 current awardees applied for and received this award last year. Notwithstanding it is the much desired aspiration of the foundation that the award scheme will grow year after year both in terms of number of recipients and reach across the nation,” she said.

In his remarks, Col. Nwasor who described the late General Ndiomu as ‘our boss’, said the deceased General stood for excellence and it was the singular honour for his service of the Army to be associated with the Charles Bebeye Ndiomu Foundation.

Mr. Charles Ani Bassey-Eyo, who represented the Technical Consultants, Axiom Learning Solutions Limited, described the programme as laudable and urged Nigerian military and the government to do more in supporting the foundation to grow.

Reacting to the awards, Mrs Waliat Abdulsalam, widow of late Lt. Cpl Salami Hakeem, said words would not be enough to appreciate the great impact the foundation has made in her now one-parent home.

The presentation of the award was attended by the family led by a of the deceased General, Mr. Patrick Ndiomu and members of the delegation of the Nigerian Army Education Corps, led by director of command school services of the corps represented by Col. JC Nwasor, his the deputy director. Others in attendance were representatives of the scholarship Trustee managers, Vetiva Trustees Limited, led by its managing director, Mrs Ifeoma Udom and the technical consultants on the project, Axiom Learning Solutions Limited represented by Mr. Ani Bassey-Eyo as well as the award recipients accompanied by their parents.