By Correspondent
Lagos, Feb. 18, 2026. The Chris Oyakhilome Foundation International (COFI) Scholarships Initiative has marked ten years of documented impact in expanding access to quality education for deserving students across communities and borders.
Addressing journalists at a news conference on Wednesday in Ikeja, Tom Amenkhienan, Chairman, Board of Trustees, COFI, said the decade’s milestones reflected accountability, strategic growth and transparency.
Amenkhienan highlighted the Foundation’s achievements through an impact report detailing outcomes, governance structures, sustainability mechanisms, and future expansion plans for the organisation across Nigeria and beyond in Africa.
He said, “Ten years ago, we launched a vision; today we present verifiable impact, documented outcomes, and a clear roadmap proving education remains the strongest instrument for generational transformation.
“Our scholarship beneficiaries were enrolled as young children, sponsored through primary, secondary, and university education. Today, they are graduates, gainfully employed, and meaningfully contributing to society and national development,” he said.
Similarly, Dr Ifeoma Chiemeka, Director, Corporate Affairs of COFI, explained that the foundation was faith-based and committed to giving back to society by empowering individuals to reach their full potential through quality education and opportunities.
She noted that beneficiaries received exceptional education and are encouraged to apply their creativity, proving their capacity to achieve extraordinary feats, including building a locally assembled vehicle in spite of limited manufacturing structures.
“They went from kids to kings, demonstrating that with faith, opportunity and determination, dreams are achievable. Over the past decade, graduates across disciplines have excelled, proving greater accomplishments remain ahead,” she added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a public lecture delivered at the event had the theme, “Reshaping the Educational Ecosystem: Reforming Curricula and Empowering Educators to Build our Societies and Nation”.
Prof. Chukwuemeka Eke, the Guest Speaker, described education as not merely a sector but the engine of national destiny, emphasising that discussions about curriculum and teachers ultimately concern the future architecture of society.
Eke noted that Africa’s education systems remain structured for an industrial era, producing certificates in a labour market demanding competence, while disruption, automation, and digital transformation accelerated global change.
He added that curriculum reform and teacher empowerment are inseparable, urging investment in digital fluency, critical thinking, and professional dignity to transform classrooms into innovation laboratories driving sustainable national development.
“Education is the engine of national destiny; when we align curriculum with reality and empower educators with competence and dignity, we unlock innovation, reduce unemployment, and secure sustainable prosperity,” he said.
Similarly, Prof. Ngozi Imaga, Nutritional and Pharmacological Biochemist at the University of Lagos, emphasised the urgent need to improve the learning environment through intentional study approaches and a dynamic shift in classroom engagement strategies.
“True learning thrives when students intentionally pursue courses that align with their passions, transforming classrooms into vibrant spaces of engagement, critical thinking, and meaningful academic and personal growth,” she added.
