The founder and Chairman of Geregu Energy Group, Femi Otedola has never ceased to wow commentators with his philanthropic disposition
He owns one of the most impactful foundation – the Femi Otedola Foundation which many can attest of its impact in promoting the welfare of the human race, particularly, his fellow Nigerians who are in need.
The foundation recently came to the aid of a retired university lecturer, Dr Inih Ebong after Otedola’s attention was drawn to the deteriorating health condition of the don.
Dr Inih Ebong who retired in 2002, was an Associate Professor, at the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State.
The former don was said to have been unjustly retired by the university authorities and was denied reinstatement several times in spite of his victories in court
When Dr Ebong became seriously ill and was diagnosed with cardiac failure, he could not afford the medical bills, neither did he have money to feed his family.
News of his plight was published on by Premium Times, an online newspaper which Femi Otedola read and directed his foundation to address Ebong’s plight.
It is worthwhile to note that Dr Ebong’s case is not an isolated one as Femi Otedola has extensively used his foundation in life-saving interventions that have put smiles on the faces of many Nigerians, home and abroad.
A list of prominent individuals that have benefitted from his philanthropy include former captain of the Green Eagles, Christian Chukwu, former Nigeria goalkeeper Peter Fregene, Nigeria’s music icon, late Majek Fashek, veteran actor Victor Alaotan and Nollywood star Sadiq Aba.
Asides coming to the aid of individuals, the Femi Otedola foundation has been involved in humanitarian causes.
Prominent among them is his $14 million donations to a 2019 fundraiser organised by Save The Child Fund which is believed to be the single largest donation ever, to charity in the country.
In all its intervention programmes, the Femi Otedola Foundation has spread its goodwill across the nation without discriminating between class, tribes or region.
Speaking at a certain forum on why he has a heart of gold, Otedola remarked that: “In my circle of friends, many people spend up to N50 million on champagne and generally enjoy life. At the end what happens? It passes out of their bodies as waste.
“For me, therefore (and I also tell my friends), it is important to use such money to benefit others and put smiles on the faces of as many people as we can.
“God has been kind to me and I feel highly privileged. The only way I can show my gratitude to Him is to use my wealth to support those who are less privileged. This, I intend to do for the rest of my life.”
