Edith Okowa Adopts 50 UNIDEL Students, Pledges Annual N200,000 Support

The former First Lady of Delta State and Chairperson of the O5 Foundation, Dame Edith Okowa, has adopted 50 students of the University of Delta (UNIDEL), Agbor, under the Foundation’s Student Assistance Programme.

Okowa announced the adoption on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at the Agbor Campus of the university while presenting N200,000 cash assistance to each of the 50 beneficiaries, amounting to N10 million.

She said the Foundation, established on June 1, 2015, was inspired by the biblical principle contained in Matthew 25:35-36 and was established as a lifetime commitment to supporting prison inmates, the sick and other less-privileged members of society.

According to her, the O5 Foundation has provided boreholes in all prison facilities in Delta State and sponsored free sickle cell and eye-care treatments across the state.

She said the Foundation had now expanded its intervention to include indigent students, with the aim of reducing the financial burden associated with pursuing higher education.

Okowa explained that the 50 beneficiaries would be treated as adoptees, as the Foundation would continue to support each of them with N200,000 annually until graduation.

She added that the Foundation would also closely monitor their academic and social development to ensure they grow into individuals capable of making positive contributions to society.

Welcoming the former First Lady to the university, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eric Chiedum Eboh, thanked the O5 Foundation for the N10 million financial support to the 50 students.

Eboh also commended the Foundation for adopting what he described as credible and inclusive criteria in selecting the beneficiaries.

The Vice Chancellor thanked Dame Okowa for her support for less-privileged students, noting that the gesture aligned with the letter “E” in the university’s RAISE UNIDEL higher programme, which is aimed at creating an environment conducive for students to excel in all ramifications.

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The highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of N200,000 cheques to each of the 50 beneficiaries drawn from different departments of the university.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr Nelson Egbudu, a 300-level student of Animal Science, thanked the O5 Foundation for the financial assistance, describing it as timely, coming barely two weeks after their resumption for the 2026/2027 academic session.

Egbudu pledged that the beneficiaries would put the funds to maximum use, saying the gesture would encourage the Foundation to continue supporting indigent students across Delta State.

The ceremony was witnessed by the university’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Patrick Ijeh; representatives of the chairmen of Ika South and Ika North East Local Government Areas; senior officers of the university; and members of the O5 Foundation.