Sir Emeka Offor Foundation Set to Launch 2016 Book Distribution

ABUJA, NIGERIA--(Marketwired - May 6, 2016) - The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, a non-governmental, philanthropic organization focused on health, youth employment, women's empowerment, education and tropical disease eradication, will launch its 2016 book distribution initiative in Katsina, Katsina State today. The announcement coincided with a formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Foundation and Katsina State Government.

Governor Aminu Bello Masari executed the signing of the MOU on behalf of the State. Sir Emeka Offor signed on the Foundation's behalf. Extensive discussions preceded and followed the execution of the MOU.

The MOU calls for a total of two 40-foot containers of books, reading materials and computers to be distributed to Katsina State with a value of approximately 800,000 dollars. The State's Ministry of Education will coordinate and supervise the book distribution to ensure it complies with the highest standards of equity and transparency. The goal is to bring adequate supplies to those schools most in need.

"We are here to support the Katsina State Government, having seen their good works under the leadership of his Excellency, the Executive Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari," said Sir Emeka Offor, founder of the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation and Executive Vice Chairman of The Chrome Group. "We will support him in numerous ways, beginning with educational institutions, spanning primary, secondary, and tertiary/higher education institutions."

Beyond educational support to Katsina, the Foundation plans to assist the State in setting up a 'skills acquisition center' to promote job opportunities, reduce unemployment in the State, and improve the standard of living for families in Katsina State. The facility will train and equip Katsina citizens to provide unique skills such as welding, scaffolding, among others. Additionally, the Foundation will assist women in the State to become independent and self-sustaining by creating co-operatives and granting them access to microfinance. The Foundation follows this model in Anambra State with great success.

"What Sir Emeka is doing in Katsina State in the area of educational is more than words can express," said Governor Masari. "You can call this an endless journey, because it is knowledge that will be acquired and passed through generations. If you develop the individual, institutions naturally will be developed, and that [is] part of where we are. Over time... we will continue to rebuild especially with the massive assistance of people like Chief Sir Emeka Offor who has a social conscience to look back and appreciate what God has done for him, and also share with other people irrespective of their religious, ethnic or regional background."

Today's book distribution will set in motion an annual national drive by the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation. It will bring books, educational materials and computers to libraries and educational institutions across Nigeria's six geo-political zones. The initiative is one of the central objectives of the Foundation, which has promoted education and literacy throughout the continent of Africa since 2006.

During the ensuing decade, the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, in partnership with Books For Africa, a U.S.-based non-governmental organization, has successfully facilitated the supply of more than $22 million of books, reading materials and computers. The supplies, which outfitted schools and libraries, have benefited countless students and adults in over 18 countries throughout the continent, especially in Nigeria.

About the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation

The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation is a philanthropic organization based in Abuja, FCT and Oraifite, Anambra State, Nigeria. The Foundation seeks to alleviate the sufferings of the less privileged through philanthropy, and focuses primarily on giving support and hope to those in need irrespective of tribe, creed, religion and nation. The Foundation has affected the lives of many Nigerians through its domestic programs and projects, which include youth empowerment, Widows Cooperative, education, and health services and infrastructural development. For more information, visit http://sireofforfoundation.org or like us at https://www.facebook.com/siremekaofforfoundation.