Victor Ogunmola, president of i-Scholar Initiative (iSI), a non-govevernmental organisation that sponsors the education of self-driven students, was the centre of applauds at the second edition of ‘The Impact Series’ by the Akin Fadeyi Foundation.
The event, held virtually, celebrated Ogunmola’s character and iSI’s impact on numerous students who passed the initiative.
The speakers at the programme were Funmi Hector-Olukoya, the vice president of fundraising for iSI; Olukunle Ojeleye, the vice president of operations for iSI; and some beneficiaries of the initiative.
Hector-Olukoya described Ogunmola as a “selfless person” who started iSI out of altruism and gave students “from his pockets” to help “ensure they had more than he had when he was starting”.
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She added that the initiative has gone on to change the lives of students and their families.
“When I stumbled upon Victor’s write-up on Facebook about the i-Scholar initiative, I was fascinated. I dug further and decided to be part of it. I wanted my initial participation to be a one-off, but to this day, I still sit down and marvel at what the initiative has done,” Hector-Olukoya said.
“To be honest, Victor is one of the uncelebrated heroes of Nigeria. He is doing things that even the government will not attempt to do. Now, we have i-Scholar beneficiaries worldwide who are doing exceptionally well. Victor started everything all by himself. He gave from his pockets to students he could reach to ensure they had more than he had when he was starting.”
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On his part, Ojeleye revealed that Ogunmola is a cancer survivor, and the experience renewed his resolve “to be able to put back into society and build people from disadvantaged backgrounds”.
He added that the i-Scholar initiative has graduated to a platform that provides full scholarships to hundreds of students.
“Victor is somebody who is determined to the new lease of life that God has given him, as someone who was diagnosed with cancer and was able to survive it, to be able to put back into society and build people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Fahidat Gbadamosi, one of i-Scholars beneficiaries, narrated how the initiative was a “light” to her dream despite being from a “humble background and the first of seven children”.
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“I joined iSI in 2019 and was part of the first set. Right from when I was young, I always knew I wanted to make a global impact but did not know how to achieve the dream. When I finished as an undergraduate at the University of Ibadan, I knew the next step for me, but I just could not afford the exams. So once I saw the opportunity, it was like a light for me and my family. I am from a humble background and the first of seven children,” she said.
“I’m a rising fourth-year PhD candidate in organic chemistry at the University of South Carolina.”
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