By Dr. Frank Igbojindu (PhD)
Group Managing Director, Akpoazaa Group
Nigeria’s greatest tragedy is not hunger, insecurity, or unemployment. It is the slow and painful abandonment of education, especially among the poor.
Every day, across our streets and rural communities, children with bright minds roam without direction—not because they are lazy or unwilling to learn, but because society failed to give them a chance. This reality shaped my personal conviction and the philosophy that guides Akpoazaa Group today: Education or Nothing.
Education is not charity. It is not a favour from the privileged to the poor. It is a moral responsibility and the most powerful tool for breaking the cycle of poverty.
In 2025, Akpoazaa Group deliberately invested in education and human development at every level. From nursery to university, from indigent pupils to brilliant JAMB performers, from grassroots communities to tertiary institutions, our interventions were intentional and impact-driven.
We disbursed millions of naira in scholarships and education support, launched university endowments, empowered youths with business capital, provided clean water through solar boreholes, introduced free medical services for women, and placed elderly women on monthly salary schemes to restore dignity.
Most touching commitments was offering a full scholarship—from Nursery 2 to University—to a rescued child, Chidalu Udennaka. That single decision reinforced my belief that one educated child can change a generation, and the celebration of my Osinachi Igbojindu’s birthday with a full university scholarship to two children of a blind mother, Chidimma Great and Wisdom Great.
I must deeply appreciate De Imperial Philanthropic Family, under the visionary leadership of its National President, High Chief Dr Sir Darlington Nwabunike, whose understanding of education as a poverty-alleviation tool gave birth to the DIPF Scholarship Scheme. Thousands of young lives have been redirected through that vision.
I also commend IG Aguowo Health and Academic Foundation, led by Ichie I. G. Aguowo, for consistently standing with young people in their academic journeys.
One painful experience in 2025 was our inability to complete the building of a house for a poor widow due to land disputes. Despite funds, materials, and goodwill, resistance halted the project. But compassion does not retreat. A new plan is coming.
As we move into 2026, our mission remains clear: take children off the streets, return them to classrooms, equip youths with skills, and make education accessible to every household.
Because when you educate a child, you don’t just change a life, you secure the future of a nation.
