While public education funding continues to shrink across Nigeria, one man has quietly become a powerhouse of academic support. Chief James Ume, Publisher of THE WHISTLER newspaper and Chairman of the Unubiko Foundation, has poured over N1.5bn into scholarships, infrastructure, and community projects across Abia State and beyond.
On Friday, Ume supervised the distribution of scholarship bursaries worth over N170m to 170 tertiary students as part of the Foundation’s 2024/2025 programme. Each recipient will receive an annual stipend exceeding N200,000 throughout their academic journey. The scholarships benefit both Abia natives and students from other states attending institutions across Nigeria.
Beyond financial support, Ume’s previous interventions include rebuilding schools, providing scholarships, empowering youths with digital skills, and fostering grassroots partnerships, all aimed at transforming education from the ground up and nurturing Nigeria’s next generation of leaders and professionals.
In recent years, the Unubiko Foundation has funded over 200 scholarships in Arochukwu LGA alone, covered WAEC fees for nearly 200 struggling secondary school students, donated 100 laptops for digital skills training, and invested N250m to transform the once-neglected Ovukwu-Abam Secondary School into a modern learning facility.
Chief Ume’s generosity didn’t stop at education. He also rebuilt a customary court for an Abia community at a cost of N150m.
During COVID-19, Ume stepped up when his community needed him most. He distributed protective equipment throughout Abam communities in Arochukwu LGA and to the Federal Medical Centre in Umuahia. The Nigerian Union of Journalists also benefited from his generosity with book donations worth over N6m to its national secretariat and councils in Abia and Abuja.
In December 2023, Ume handed over the rebuilt Onyerubi Comprehensive Secondary School in Ndi Oji Abam, a project that came alongside a N300m scholarship programme for Abia students. Three months later, in March 2024, he launched another N300m scholarship fund at the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria in Atan Abam to further expand access to higher education.
Perhaps his boldest move came in December 2024 with a N500m donation to Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic in Aba. Student leaders and academics hailed the contribution for breathing new life into essential infrastructure and improving learning conditions for thousands of students.
Ume’s vision extends beyond classrooms into healthcare, rural electrification, clean water access, and digital literacy.
His foundation has constructed 44 boreholes across 27 villages, donated transformers, distributed COVID-19 relief supplies, and covered medical expenses for vulnerable citizens.
Ume has received numerous honours, including Philanthropist of the Year 2024 from The Reporters Magazine, the Gani Fawehinmi Impact and Integrity Award 2023 from HEDA Resource Centre, Humanitarian Service Icon Award 2022 from The Sun Publishing Company, Africa’s Patriotic and Philanthropic Personality of the Year 2024 from the All-Africa Students Union, and an Honourary Doctorate in Philanthropy and Human Investment 2024 from Weldios University of Management and Technology in Benin Republic.
At the recent scholarship ceremony, Ume reaffirmed his commitment to expanding institutional partnerships and broadening both scholarship and infrastructure support:
“It’s not enough to give; we must build futures, restore dignity, and equip young people with the tools to lead. We are committed to raising a generation of leaders and professionals who will transform Nigeria,” he said.
He shared how his mother’s dedication to education shaped his values: “She was an educationist. No matter how tough things were, she made sure that everyone around her children had access to basic education. She sacrificed everything she had.”
The name “Unubiko” carries special meaning, drawn from a phrase his mother would use during difficult times: “She would gather us in the room and say, ‘Unubiko, don’t tell anybody you’ve not eaten.’ We’d go to school, and by the time we came back, she’d have something for us.”
Although Chief Ume began his scholarship efforts informally in 2007, the Foundation was officially registered in 2024 to expand its reach and ensure long-term sustainability. The current scholarship programme is deliberately inclusive, with 60 per cent of scholarships allocated to girls and 40 per cent to boys.
The Foundation also runs specialised education programmes for women, including a N50m intervention in Idime Abam and another in Atan Abam to support high-achieving girls all the way through PhD studies.
Inside Chief James Ume’s N1.5bn Humanitarian Efforts In Abia is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
Source: The Whistler
