Entrepreneur and philanthropist Herbert Wigwe is mostly known as Nigeria’s most prolific and innovative banker but Mr. Wigwe´s tireless work with Nigeria’s youth isn’t going unnoticed. The Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe (HOW) foundation drove a campaign encouraging young people to accept challenges and be the best they can be under the slogan #BeTheBest.
A seminar was held in October and at the end of last year an open call was made for students who had made excellent grades to send in their results and become eligible to receive a prize. On 14 February 2017 the who foundation awarded two exceptionally promising students Ojeaga Aidenomoehi and Gbegaje Danrome a special recognition – they became the proud recipients of brand new laptops as a result of their excellence.
The HOW foundation was founded in January 2016, the founder, Mr. Wigwe decided these are the times, more than ever, to give a more personal support to the causes that he finds dear to his heart. With his vision along with the foundation’s chief executive officer Ms. Antonia Ally the ”Leadership and Mentorship Seminar for Youths” was set in motion. The overall mission of the foundation is to create a long-term sustainable strategy to impact and empower Nigerians with knowledge and resources towards a better future. The vision is to create, implement and improve sustainable programs that will build a future and encourage a better quality of life for Nigerians.
The HOW Foundation constantly evaluates and re-evaluates it’s own goals and objectives to ensure the foundation’s objectives to be realistic and attainable, in an effort to achieve measurable results for Nigeria.
Wigwe’s HOW foundation sprung to action in spring 2016 with an event in the village of Isikpo in the Rivers State of Nigeria where a multitude of malaria kits was handed out. The foundation initially set its sights on doing its bit for the global fight against malaria and prostate cancer in the region and that was precisely what they did. After a successful start the HOW Foundation soon turned the focus on empowering the youth of the region and of Nigeria with a campaign titled “Be The Best”.
Mr. Wigwe has long stressed the importance of working with Nigeria’s youth in building up a future for the country. “The children need encouragement, it is hard to hope for a better future with all the challenges in the world, we have to encourage them, we have to explain to them that challenges are a natural part of life”
The HOW Foundation aims to help young people understand and nourish their leadership potentials and skills. The foundation fights to empower the youth of Nigeria and prepare them for the future through the “Be the Best” champagne and its long term educational and motivational goals, encouraging and teaching the youth to be committed, to have faith, have attitude, make plans, have integrity, organize themselves, enjoy what they do and never give up.
“I cannot change the world overnight, but if I can empower even one youth today, tomorrow, they could join me in empowering others…. with time… we could change the world” Wigwe has said, and the HOW foundation is certainly playing a part in realizing that vision.