In marking the 2025 edition of his birth anniversary, Comrade Joel Tonjoh, the executive chairman of Benikrukru community in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West council area of Delta State, has donated free learning materials to pupils and students in the community, appraising such gesture as part of the determination to give back to the riverine community.

The Benikrukru chairman, in company of his wife, Hon. (Mrs.) Ebi Adams Tonjoh, were joined by well-wishers comprising chiefs, elders and youths during the ceremony that was marked in the Oboro Playground on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.

Comrade Tonjoh, in his presentation, emphasised on the importance of education as a lasting legacy as well as a motivation, and noted that he decided to celebrate his birthday in the community than elsewhere as a mark of identifying with the people he leads. 

He said, "Today, among everything that I choose to do in life, I choose to celebrate my birth anniversary with pupils, students, women, the elders and the community. I am from Benikrukru. Being the chairman, I felt it would not be worthy, today, being my birthday, to celebrate elsewhere outside from my people.

""Life itself is a journey. I know in every phase of life, as you grow in society, one of the best legacies you can leave behind to encourage the younger generation, is education. So, for that reason, I decided to give back this little token to the secondary school, primary school, and the nursery school to mark my birth anniversary," he stated in reference to the donated branded notebooks and writing materials.

Speaking further, he said, "The reason is because I am a product, like what my Secretary said, 'I am a product of the local community school.' I never went to the school that other people were privileged to go to. But here I am today. I can compete with them. That is also my desire to see that the average Benikrukru son, daughter, that is not privileged to go to school in Warri, will be able to compete with their peers across the globe.

"So, for that reason, I am using this as a means of encouragement to motivate them so that they will take their education serious; to motivate them so that they will know that education is the bedrock of the society, so that they will know that education is the only means that we can be able to attract development to our communities," he added.

The community chairman also lauded stakeholders in the community for positively contributing to its growth and infrastructural development, while he also charged like minds to emulate such good gestures.

"If you go around Benikrukru as a community today, you will see the level of development that is going on; that is because we are determined to give back to the kingdom where we came from.

"So, I am using this as encouragement to all my little ones that are coming behind us and also to call on other well-meaning individuals, like our brothers and sisters, to follow suit in putting smiles on the faces of our people. Because this is our home. We don't have anywhere to call a home," he stressed.

Tonjoh also bagged a joint Award of Honour from the Benikrukru Secondary School and Oboro Primary School in appreciation and in recognition of his "resilience, dedication, commitment and selfless support towards the growth and development" of the education system in the community.

Pupils and students were also rewarded with prize money for participating in fun activities such as 'The Well-Best Dressed Pupil and Student' among others entertaining activities.

View photos here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BRF8ZXCbg/

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