The Humanitarian Studies and Social Institute Development (IHSD) has conferred a Doctoral Fellowship on Dr. Obioma Orji, Chairman of Cromaria Care Foundation, in recognition of his outstanding qualities and to commemorate his 50th birthday.
Fellowship Presentation
The honour was presented by Ambassador Francis Origa, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute, who is also a Professor of Humanitarianism and a United Nations scholar. The Institute collaborates with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to promote humanitarian development and capacity-building initiatives.
During the presentation, Ambassador Origa described Dr. Orji as an accomplished humanitarian whose life and service have positively impacted countless individuals and communities. He praised both Dr. Orji and his wife, Mrs. Chinyere Orji, for their selfless humanitarian work through the Cromaria Care Foundation. He encouraged other well-meaning individuals and organizations to emulate their example and urged local and international donor agencies, development partners, corporate organizations, and philanthropists to support the Foundation in expanding its humanitarian interventions across the nation and beyond.
Book Launch
Another major highlight of the event was the official launch of the book, “Cheers to 50 – Celebrating A Life of Love, Leadership and Humanity,” an autobiography of Dr. Orji authored by Mrs. Orji in honour of her husband. The book chronicles Dr. Orji’s early childhood, humble beginnings, educational journey, professional growth, and rise within the nation’s aviation industry. It also documents the establishment and achievements of the Cromaria Care Foundation, his philosophy of leadership beyond profit, humanitarian contributions, commitment to community development, Christian faith, family values, and dedication to service. The publication concludes with an emotional tribute from Mrs. Orji to her husband, celebrating a life devoted to leadership, compassion, faith, and humanity.
Foundation's Achievements
In her speech, Mrs. Chinyere Orji, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cromaria Care Foundation, highlighted the Foundation’s remarkable humanitarian journey. Founded in 2018 and officially incorporated in 2019, the Foundation was established to advance the cause of humanity and provide support to vulnerable and underserved populations through social and economic development initiatives.
According to Mrs. Orji, even before its formal incorporation, the Foundation had been actively engaged in numerous philanthropic interventions across the country. These interventions include scholarship awards at various educational levels, provision of infrastructure to educational institutions and churches, construction of housing units for indigent families, installation of community boreholes, vocational and skills acquisition training programmes, provision of start-up capital for the less privileged, as well as donations of cash and relief materials to victims of natural disasters and military personnel.
Despite operating for eight years with limited external funding support, she noted the Foundation has continued to make significant impacts nationwide. Mrs. Orji also expressed profound appreciation to the Lagos State Government for their support. Reiterating the Foundation’s commitment to partnering with philanthropists, corporate organizations, governments at all levels, and international development agencies to further advance humanitarian causes, she further revealed that the Foundation has empowered over 2,000 women, distributed more than 10,000 bags of fertilizer to support agricultural development, and facilitated over 10,000 scholarships for students across the country.
