Valentine Ozigbo: The Philanthropist Who Lives Up To His Name 

0

Every year’s February 14th is set aside to commemorate Saint Valentine, the saint of love. Valentine’s Day is usually marked with giving, the first sign of love. Saint Valentine is known as a man who showed exceptional love to his community. History records that he gave his whole life to helping the poor. Fast forward to 2021, and some of my most dominant thoughts on Sunday, February 14th, were about the man I regard as the Saint Valentine of our time. Though they walk the earth centuries apart, the similarities in the essence of their service to humanity are worth exploring. 

Born on July 20th, 1970, Valentine Ozigbo in the South East region of Nigeria as the last child of Andrew Ozigbo, a village school headmaster at the time, and Christiana Ozigbo, a trader and farmer. The story of his birth signals a bearer of peace. Born just after the brutal civil war of the late 60s, Val’s birth signalled a new era of peace, love, prosperity, not only in the Ozigbo family but the larger community. 

Right from his childhood, Valentine has carried the virtue which endears people to him. He was a humble and helpful child. He was waking up early to help his mother on the farm before heading out to school in the morning. His willingness to help others is a trait that his school principal at Christ The Redeemer College Amesi noticed. So, much so that he employed an 18-year-old Val to mathematics and physics in the school, just after his most brilliant student had scaled his WAEC exams. This was Val’s first job and one he held until he gained admission into the prestigious University of Nigeria (UNN) and left Amesi for further studies. 

ALSO READ  POTENTIAL REALITY VS MATERIAL REALITY

Valentine Ozigbo’s passion for giving back to society drove him to establish the eponymously named Valentine Chineto Ozigbo (VCO) Foundation, which focuses on youth and women empowerment, leadership and entrepreneurship development, and capacity building. 

The foundation has organised youth development and leadership training and competitions in Amesi and Akalabo communities in Anambra State. Through this programme and others, Ozigbo is raising the next generation of business leaders with his belief in the Kaizen principle of continuous improvement. The values of unrelenting pursuit of excellence are those this respected business leader is determined to impart to the next generation of leaders. 

Valentine’s burning desire and dream is to create a sustainable ecosystem of value that empowers an elite army of young people with the knowledge and skills that will allow them to thrive and prosper in the new global economy. He expects that these empowered elite groups would create pathways for others, a concept deeply rooted in the Igbo-Boi, the Igbo apprenticeship system. 

ALSO READ  RE: Bishop Nwokolo & The Rest of us By Rev Chinedu Nnatuanya

In recognition of his drive to change the world by developing future leaders, Valentine Ozigbo was named the Unusual Entrepreneur Program’s chair. Unusual Entrepreneur is a Catholic church business mentorship initiative that is an extension of Unusual Praise, Africa’s biggest Catholic gospel concert. Since 2018, when Val was named the chair, Unusual Entrepreneur has empowered startups with funding and runs mentorship schemes that have positively impacted at least 250 businesses. 

Val’s drive and energy are a major reason the program is continuously breaking new grounds and growing from strength to strength. He regularly leverages his wide circle of influence to attract blue-chip individuals to act as mentors to beneficiaries of the programme. 

In 6 years, VCO Foundation has become one of the most active at the grassroots, especially in his home state of Anambra. It appears to observers, and rightly so, that Valentine spends a significant portion of his resources on helping the next generation, so much so that he has been tagged ‘King of the Youth’ and ‘the Entrepreneur with a Heart of Gold’ by Anambra youth. 

Valentine has played a pivotal role in curbing the spread of the COVID 19 Pandemic in Nigeria in the past one year. In April 2020, VCO Foundation was one of the first non-governmental organisations to intervene by donating palliatives and relief materials worth over N30 million to communities in Anambra State. The charity began with a street activation in which it distributed educational materials and thousands of bottles of hand sanitizers to more than 50 major markets in the southeastern state. In the months that followed, thousands of bags of rice, face masks, and other materials were distributed to cushion the impact of the lockdowns. 

ALSO READ  Kenneth Ikonne writes: MY PRELIMINARY RESERVATIONS ON THE JUDGMENT!

From the extent of the many community engagements engineered by Val Ozigbo, it is safe to conclude that this large-hearted philanthropist has touched the lives of one in every five persons in Aguata Local Government Area, from where he hails. 

Last Sunday, February 14th, 2021, Mr Ozigbo continued his signature tradition of sharing love by celebrating over 600 women in Awka. He treated them to aptly named Val Love Fest and shared gifts and goodwill in an electric atmosphere. 

I want to use this medium to celebrate a man who has dedicated his life to giving back and making the world a better place – Valentine Ozigbo, our own Saint Valentine. 

Alozie Alozie is a political activist. He is the Director-General of Campaign Stream. He writes from Abuja. 

What are your thoughts?

Discover more from Odogwu Blog

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading