4th February, 2022
By Habibu Harisu
A Sokoto-based musician and an American film actor, Umar Usman, alias Sojaboy, has donated educational materials, cartons of detergents and pomade to orphanages and schools in the state.
Presenting the items at U.K Jarma Academy in Sokoto on Friday, Usman said that the gesture is to support his community, having grown up a less privileged child.
He said that as an indigene, he grew up as a less privileged child from a humble background who went through different forms of struggles to earn a living.
According to him, he established a foundation to support the less privileged persons, especially children.
“I started in some schools and provided cartons of chalk, exercise books, textbooks, school uniforms and cash as support,’’ he said.
The actor said that the U.K. Karma Academy was chosen because the school hosted orphans who lost their parents due to insurgency in Borno and Yobe states.
He said that cartons of detergents, soaps, pomade and other consumables, including N50,000 cash, were donated to augment the proprietor’s efforts.
He urged other wealthy Nigerians to support the less privileged in the society, stressing that some people needed small assistance such as uniforms, books and feeding to enrol their children in schools.
Responding, the School Principal, Alhaji Murtala Ummarun-Kwabo, said the school was established in 2018 and had orphans from Borno and Yobe states and the 23 local government areas of Sokoto state.
Ummarun-Kwabo said that a proper arrangement was made by the proprietor to ensure the smooth running of the school.
According to him, a property, worth N1.3 billion and situated in Abuja, is dedicated to the school as the N60 million rent on it is being utilised for the maintenance of the school.
He commended the donor of the property and said that the dedicated funds were used to feed, cloth and ensure the upkeep of the students.
The principal added that the selected orphans were combined with other children to learn Islamic education along with modern primary and secondary education subjects.
Students made presentations in Arabic and English languages as well as offered prayers for the nation’s peaceful coexistence and capacity to overcome security challenges.