COFI Celebrates Decade Of Transforming Lives Through Scholarships – Independent Newspaper Nigeria

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The Chris Oyakhilome Foun­dation International (COFI) has marked the 10th anniversary of its structured scholarship initiative, highlighting what it described as measurable impact in educational empowerment across Nigeria and internationally.

Rev. Tom Amenkhienan, Chairman COFI, while speaking at the COFI Scholarships at 10 press conference and lecture in Lagos said that the milestone was not merely ceremonial but a mo­ment of accountability, reflection and strategic projection.

“Ten years ago, the COFI Scholarships Initiative was estab­lished as a deliberate and struc­tured response to a pressing need: to expand access to quality educa­tion for deserving young minds, eliminate financial barriers and position education as a catalyst for sustainable transformation,” he said.

According to him, what began as vision has become “verifiable impact,” securing academic fu­tures, strengthening families and building a growing network of emerging leaders equipped for national and global relevance.

He stressed that education should not be seen as charity but as strategic empowerment. “When you invest in a child’s education, you are building lead­ership capacity, strengthening economic resilience and influ­encing generational outcomes,” he added.

Speaking further he said that the foundation focuses on provid­ing support to the less privileged and to people affected by disasters such as floods, fires and wars.

According to him, it has estab­lished 16 fully built and furnished tuition-free schools in countries including Nigeria, Liberia, Mala­wi, India and the Central African Republic.

He also cited relief interven­tions carried out in Haiti, Paki­stan, India, Nigeria, Texas in the United States, Central African Re­public and South Sudan, as well as medical outreach initiatives such as “Vision 10,000” for the visually impaired and the equipping of medical facilities.

He called for collective respon­sibility in supporting education, saying “Every child is your child,” while urging individuals and part­ners to join structured efforts to uplift indigent children and fam­ilies.

Pastor Ifeoma Chiemeka, Director of Corporate Affairs, Loveworld Incorporated, traced the origin of the initiative to De­cember 7, 2015, when Rev. Dr. Chris Oyakhilome announced scholar­ships for 67 young members of the LoveWorld Music and Arts Performing Arts group known as “ Kids Can Dance.”

She noted that many of the children came from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, with some out of school at the time.

“A decade later, 29 of the origi­nal beneficiaries — now referred to as “Kings Can” — have gradu­ated from university and are con­tributing meaningfully to society.

“Nine are current­ly in their final year at university, seven in their second year, three in their first year, while 19 remain in secondary schools across different states in Nigeria. Two of the original 67 were just three years old at the time of the announce­ment and are now in secondary school.”

She noted that from the initial Per­forming Arts Schol­arship Scheme, the programme has expanded into three distinct streams: the COFI Performing Arts Scholarship Scheme, the COFI Scholarships at LoveWorld Schools and the Non-Institution­alised Scholarship Scheme oper­ating in universities globally.

According to her, over the past decade, the scholarship pro­gramme has impacted a total of 154 beneficiaries. This includes 40 “Kids Can” university graduates from Benson Idahosa University and four secondary-level gradu­ates under the LoveWorld Schools scheme. International beneficia­ries include a COFI awardee at Drexel University and another at the American Film Institute.

Chiemeka emphasised that the initiative was designed not only to provide financial relief but to nurture academic excellence, leadership capacity, societal influ­ence and spiritual maturity.

Also, Pastor Arinze Emmanu­el, Head COFI said before joining the scholarship scheme, many beneficiaries faced financial in­stability, limited access to learning materials and uncertainty about continuing their education and that since enrolment, they have experienced academic and per­sonal transformation.

He said beyond access to tui­tion, beneficiaries now enjoy full learning support, creating stabil­ity and enabling uninterrupted study.

He noted that their perfor­mance has improved across cohorts, with scholars earning high grades, commendations and ranking among the top students in their institutions.