Three Isoko young youngsters, who are secondary school students, were honoured with plaques and monetary gifts to celebrate their academic excellence by a socio-cultural group, Enyaharo Isoko. This is conceived as a way of encouraging young ones to focus on excellence, both in academics and other rewarding ways of life, and take the minds of young ones off the ugly path of crime and criminality. The socio-cultural group, known as Enhayaro Okugbe Emo Isoko (Enyaharo Isoko for short), will honour three youngsters who have excelled and put the Isoko ethnic nation on a progressive path in their academic performance and innovative technology.
The three youngsters are Orevaoghene Whiskey, a student of Topfaith International Secondary School, Essien Udim, Akwa Ibom, who scored nine straight ‘As’ in the just-concluded West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and Michelle Ogheneserome Amarie, a student of Lead-Forte Gate College, Lekki, Lagos, who also scored straight 8-As. The third, a Secondary School (SS2) student of James Welch Grammar School, Emevor, Isoko North LGA, Delta State, Anthony Favour Oghenero, whose innovation mind led him to construct an aeroplane and a drone. The youngsters were honoured on Sunday, September 24, 2023 in Surulere, La
Enyaharo Isoko Special Award Committee, chaired by veteran communications and marketing guru, Mr. Longley Evru, recommended awarding the three youngsters with a plaque and cash to encourage them and other young ones that hard work pays. Also, President of Enyaharo Isoko and businessman, Mr. Amos Iwary, said that honouring the youngsters when most young ones have abandoned or are abandoning school in the vain pursuit of wealth through criminality such as online scams and yahoo-yahoo, with its associated rituals for money-making, is timely and a positive message that excellence is a timeless commodity that still pays when it’s embraced even at an early age like these youngsters. Iwary said the gesture is a token of appreciation and celebration by Enyahro Isoko, and called on other well-meaning Isoko individuals and organisations to offer scholarships to the three youngsters. He noted that such reward gesture will send a clear message to other youngsters that hard work and excellence pay and also encourage them to embrace such honourable ethics.
“We cannot say that our young ones are not doing well and joining the ranks of criminality like yahoo-yahoo when we fail to honour the few who excel and prove that hard work pays,” Mr. Iwary said. “When we encourage and reward the few who excel, we send a clear message to others to emulate them, as their day of reward is also near, since the reward for excellence is more excellence. Individuals and organisations should pursue these young ones with scholarships and other forms of encouragement so they bring glory to the motherland.
“As for Master Oghenero, who constructed an aeroplane and a drone, we urge Delta State Government and the Federal Government to offer him scholarship to study aeronautics engineering in the best university offering that course of study outside the country, as an asset to Nigeria’s quest for future innovation in that specialised field of engineering. Nigeria must not allow him to be poached like it happened to one such young innovator a few years ago, which has since been a huge loss to the country. The Ministry of Science and Technology should be proactive in harnessing such young talents and nurturing them for the benefit of the country rather than allowing them to rot away in obscurity and regret being innovators and inventors.”
Dignitaries expected at the special award event include representatives of Isoko Development Union (IDU), some James Welch Old Students EXCO members, notable filmmakers like Mr. Zeb Ejiro, Chief Opa Williams, Enyaharo Isoko Vice President, Mr. Kingsley Omoefe, veteran musician, Mrs. Veno Omarioghae-Mbanefo, TV media content buyer, Mrs. Akpezi Agarry-Oke, journalist and Managing Director, Independent Media Group, publishers of Independent newspapers, Mr. Steve Omanufeme, and journalist, writer and Secretary of Enyaharo Isoko, Mr. Anote Ajeluorou, among others.
