Ernest Nzor, Abuja
FORMER President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, and other dignitaries at a Jos orphanage went emotional as a 16-year-old orphan eulogised Dr. Stanley Uzochukwu’s humanitarian gestures towards orphans and less-privileged Nigerians.
Through the Stanley Uzochukwu Foundation (SUF), the Stanel boss had embarked on the renovation of the dilapidated Jesus Only Friend International Orphanage Home (JOFIN), Rukuba Road, Jos, Plateau State, after his NGO’s attention was drawn to the plight of the children in the home last September.
The Foundation was reported to have visited the home with food, educational, medical, and other basic necessities.
At the end of the historic outreach, Uzochukwu pledged to rebuild the facility to give the children a sense of belonging and a better life, a promise he fulfilled in less than one year.
Commissioning the multi-million naira project by the state governor in the company of former President Koroma during the week, a 16-year-old orphan, Mercy Luka, on behalf of other beneficiaries, delivered an emotion-laden speech that left the audience in tears, including the former president and the state governor.
Luka’s speech read in part:
“We are gathered here in the city of Jos, the same city that raised our father, mentor and hero, Dr. Stanley Uzochukwu, and today happens to be his birthday. But sir, I must say, you gave us a gift.
“Just a few months ago, this orphanage was in a condition that words could hardly describe—with leaking roofs, cracked walls, broken and exposed toilets, and no learning facilities. But the most painful part were those nights we went to bed hungry. On those nights, we would whisper prayers in tears, asking God for help.
“Then one day, after three days of fasting and prayers in this very home, something changed. The Chief Operations Officer, Stanel Group, Mrs. Angela Madaki, visited and saw the true state of our suffering. But she didn’t stop there; she relayed our story to her boss, Dr. Uzochukwu, and from that moment, everything began to change.
“Today, through you, we now have a sustainable feeding program. For the first time in years, we no longer worry about daily food—we eat, we smile, and we grow. Every one of us in Senior Secondary 3 had our WAEC and JAMB fees fully paid for by Stanley Uzochukwu Foundation. We are no longer just dreaming—we are planning for university.
“A solar-powered borehole was built, not just to give us clean water but also to teach us entrepreneurship—to sell water to the community and learn the dignity of labour. A brand-new computer room was set up. The same computers we once only saw in pictures are now tools we are learning from.
“Toilets have been rebuilt—clean, safe and dignified. All our rooms were furnished with fans, curtains, new plates, and brand-new beds. And yes, we have food, clothing and even joy.
“Dr. Uzochukwu, you are not just a philanthropist to us, you are living proof that God remembers the orphans; that even from this city of Jos, souls can rise and come back to light a path for others.
“So today, in the presence of this great gathering, we pray for you. May your birthday be a memorial of the many lives you have touched. May God raise many more men like you for Nigeria and for Africa at large, and may your name never fade from the hearts of those whose lives you have changed,” she said.
In their separate addresses, beclouded with emotions, Mutfwang and Koroma commended Dr. Uzochukwu for his humanitarian gestures and urged other influential Nigerians to emulate the initiative. They also admonished the children to maximise the opportunities offered to them.
Uzochukwu, who was using the occasion to mark his birthday, thanked the governor and the former Sierra Leone leader for giving the orphans the privilege to see a governor and a former president, respectively.
Passionate and intentional about impacting lives, he announced the donation of his personal residence for the orphanage home and promised to do even more as he directed that sections of the JOFIN be moved to his residence in Rayfield.
Highlights of the event include the presentation of laptops to the graduating SSCE students with good results in WAEC and NECO, as well as the presentation of food items worth hundreds of millions of naira.
