Unubiko Foundation Chairman James Ume Earmarks N300m As Scholarship For Abia Students

The Chairman, Unubiko Foundation, Chief James Ume, has said that on December 26 this year, the Foundation will be handing over the newly rebuilt Onyerubi Comprehensive Secondary School, Ndi Oji Abam in Abia to the people of the community and the state government.

Ume who said this shortly after the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Center conferred the Gani Fawehinmi Impact and Integrity Awards (GFIIA) on him for his philanthropic works, noted that the Foundation we will also be handing over N300m for scholarships to Abia State students.

HEDA had presented the award to Ume during the 6th GFIIA and lecture held in Lagos at the weekend.

This was just as the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria (PCN), Ketu Parish, Lagos, also honoured Ume with the ‘God’s Mission Ambassadors Award’ during its silver jubilee, held recently in Lagos.

HEDA Resource Centre, with the support of the MacArthur Foundation, instituted the annual GFIIA, in honour of the late Human Rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, to reward acts of Integrity, Accountability and Whistleblowing to deserving Nigerians of imperturbable characteristic, Courage, Selflessness and Honesty.

According to HEDA, “The award aims to encourage, promote, celebrate and protect the uncommon principles of openness, honesty, probity, accountability and transparency in public and private life and whistleblowing to deserving persons and bodies.

“Ume has made a mark, quietly, in ensuring that others find comfort and convenience and overcome the vicissitude of life. He has touched the lives of the less privileged without making noise about it and has perfected the act of giving to become one of the shining and inspirational lights in humanitarian spaces in Nigeria. Hence, he is well deserving of the award.”

Similarly, the PCN in bestowing the award on Ume praised his philanthropy.

According to the Minister in Charge, PCN, Ketu Parish, the award conferment on Ume was, “In appreciation and recognition of your invaluable work towards the growth of the Parish and The Church Universal.”

Reacting to the two awards while speaking with journalists, Ume, who is also the Publisher of THE WHISTLER, said, “This award stands for so many things to me. One of which is a call for service.

“It also shows that no matter the little things you do to humanity, people are watching, and they are recognising the things you are doing. It also means that you must monitor every one of your activities and everything you are doing because people are seeing it, and they are observing you and taking records.

“It therefore also means that we just have to keep working harder. For me, serving the people is what gives me ultimate satisfaction, and that’s what I believe in.”

On what to expect from the Foundation, moving forward, he said, “We are very grateful for the recognition that is coming. And I can tell you, we didn’t know how all these awards came about, just some random guy reached out to me to inform me about the awards.

“For us, it’s just a beautiful thing. And for the Unubiko Foundation, we are not stopping here. We have had many people support us in many ways, with the work we are doing.

“This December, we are handing over a brand new secondary school that we built to the community and the government on December 26, and we will also be handing over N300m for scholarships to Abia State students.

“So we are not stopping. We will keep uplifting humanity and keep hoping that we will get support from our friends and associates who help us in the works that we are doing.”

Ume’s contribution to education, community development, and humanitarian causes have earned him recognition at different times.

In 2022, he was awarded the Independent Newspaper’s Philanthropist of the Year Award and the Sun Newspapers Humanitarian Service Icon Award.

Through the Unubiko Foundation, Ume has consistently reached out to the less privileged in his home state, Abia, and other parts of Nigeria.

His initiatives include empowering widows, awarding scholarships, donating laptops, providing transformers for rural electrification, financing boreholes, and supporting healthcare.

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ume distributed Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to communities in Abam, Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State, among other humanitarian projects.