By Muhammad Nur Tijani
Kano – Rochas Foundation College, on Wednesday, in Kano, organised a special ceremony, to celebrate Sen. Rochas Okorocha’s 57th birthday.
The event which took place at the school premises along Airport Road, was attended by community leaders,parents, students, ex-students and other well-wishers.
The Principal of the school, Mr. Yakubu Haruna, said that the event which included parade, cultural dances and drama, was organised by the college to rejoice with Sen. Rochas Okorocha, on his 57th birthday in Kano.
Haruna, who described Okorocha as a visionary father and beacon of hope, said that parents and students of the college would forever be greatful to him.
“We are celebrating this man today, not because he is the richest man in Africa, but because of his love for the poor, less privileged and the vulnerable in the society.
“Since inception, the school had graduated 715 students and currently have about 615 students in the school,” Haruna said,
He said that the Rochas Foundation College started with the establishment of RFC Owerri, in 2001.
He said that the foundation now has colleges in Jos, Ogboko, Ibadan and Kano, with Zaria and Adamawa commencing operation soon.
According to him, the colleges operate the Nigerian Basic School curriculum and had maintained a high quality record of academic excellence, over the years.
Haruna added that apart from the over 12 subjects choice taught at the colleges, the Foundation also empowers her students with non-academic skills in sports, music, communication, tailoring, arts and crafts, among others.
“Currently,the Foundation caters for the education of over 20,000 less-privileged children, with 3,000 of them as graduates and undergraduates, from different universities across the world.
He said the Foundation was providing the sponsored students with free tuition, books uniforms, feeding and medicare.
Earlier, the president of the college Old Student Association, Usman Shehu, thanked the founder of the school for giving them the opportunity to actualise their dreams.
He also commended the efforts of Rochas, for establishing the school solely to educate the children of the poor.
In his remarks, the chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Gwale Local Government Area, Alhaji Umar Yusuf, thanked the founder of the college and urged wealthy individuals in the state, to emulate Rochas.(NAN)