Nigerian bishop celebrates birthday awarding scholarships to disabled

Published: 2004-11-18

LAGOS, Nigeria (CNS) -- A Nigerian bishop awarded scholarships to 12 disabled indigent students as part of celebrations marking the bishop's 70th birthday. Bishop Julius Adelakun of Oyo also launched the Bishop Adelakun Foundation, which received a $750 donation from Oyo's traditional Muslim leader. Bishop Adelakun said the foundation was "aimed at assisting widows and indigent students in their educational pursuits." He said it was part of the Catholic Church's continuous efforts to help the poor people of the diocese who are mainly "peasant farmers, traders and artisans, and whose religious beliefs cut across one another." "This will help us to strengthen communal spirits among the people of the diocese," he said. The Oyo Diocese has a Catholic population of about 35,000; it has a large Muslim population.

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