📍 Abuja | Media360Impact.
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain and former Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, has announced plans to establish the Dovis Scholarship Scheme for exceptional first-class students, stressing that sustainable empowerment must go beyond distributing money and material gifts.
Ikpeazu disclosed this during the celebration of his 62nd birthday and the Fifth Okezie Victor Ikpeazu Colloquium in Madrid, Spain. The event was themed “Empowerment Beyond Handouts: Building Responsible, Skilled and Self-Reliant Young People for Sustainable Development.”
He said meaningful empowerment should focus on developing people’s abilities through education, skills acquisition, mentorship and enterprise support rather than providing temporary relief.
Under the proposed scholarship scheme, beneficiaries would be expected to maintain high academic standards, with the award subject to suspension if their academic performance declined.
Ikpeazu highlights practical skills development
Reflecting on his years in public service, the former governor said sustainable empowerment requires a combination of training, mentorship, practical experience and access to resources.
He cited agricultural programmes implemented during his administration in Abia State, particularly poultry clusters established to train young people and prepare them to run independent businesses.
The initiative provided facilities such as poultry pens, feed stores and veterinary clinics, alongside expert instructors who guided participants through classroom lessons and practical farm management.
According to Ikpeazu, the approach helped equip beneficiaries with the knowledge and experience needed to establish their own poultry businesses and reduce the risk of failure.
He also expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointing him Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain, while commending the administration’s economic reforms, which he said had placed the country on a positive economic trajectory.
Ikpeazu thanked his family, friends and political associates for supporting him throughout his academic, professional and political journey.
Professor calls for investment in human capacity
The highlight of the colloquium was a virtual keynote lecture delivered by Professor John Uzoma Ihendinihu, a Professor of Accounting and Taxation at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.
Ihendinihu argued that the success of empowerment programmes should be measured by the capacity they create, rather than the immediate benefits distributed to recipients.
He said sustainable youth development requires an integrated approach that combines character building, education, professional competence and self-reliance.
The professor urged governments, educational institutions, businesses and community leaders to invest in vocational training, mentorship, entrepreneurship support and access to markets.
He described Ikpeazu’s career as an example of how education, discipline and public service can contribute to personal development and wider social impact.
Among the initiatives he highlighted from Ikpeazu’s administration were the Made-in-Aba campaign, international training opportunities for local artisans, the Enyimba Automated Shoe Company and the Enyimba Automated Garment Factory.
He also cited efforts to secure institutional markets for products manufactured by Aba-based entrepreneurs, saying such interventions could support job creation, increase productivity and strengthen local businesses.
Ihendinihu maintained that empowerment programmes should move away from approaches centred mainly on cash transfers and material gifts towards initiatives that equip young people with practical skills and the ability to earn sustainable incomes.
Colloquium reflects on sustainable development
Earlier, the event’s moderator, Kimiebi Ebienfa, a former spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described Ikpeazu as a scholar, statesman, diplomat and public servant whose career had been shaped by scholarship, humility and service.
Ebienfa said previous editions of the annual colloquium had examined economic development, entrepreneurship and sustainable empowerment.
He explained that this year’s theme addressed the need to understand why some empowerment programmes fail and how human capital development could provide a more lasting solution.
Guests who participated physically and virtually also paid tribute to Ikpeazu, recognising his contributions to public service, youth development, education and community advancement.
The event ended with goodwill messages, birthday tributes and a birthday song in celebration of the ambassador’s 62nd birthday, attended by family members, friends, associates and other well-wishers.
Source: Proceedings and keynote presentations at the Fifth Okezie Victor Ikpeazu Colloquium in Madrid, as provided in the event report.
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