Why we’re committed to empowering vulnerable youths —Revd Economides

Founder of Soteria Trust, a charity organisation and ordained a Christian minister in 1998, Reverend Andy Economides, an author, is the proprietor of Soteria Business School, Nigeria. He speaks with VICTOR OGUNYINKA on his passion for winning souls and why he is running a scholarship-based business school in Nigeria.

What is the Soteria Business School about?

For me, it is not really a business school, because our number one aim is not to make money. It is called a business school, because we teach business. Many of the students here are on scholarship; we are offering assistance to the youths of Nigeria and not just Ibadan.

How do you select students that make the scholarship?

We publicise our scholarships and people come for interview. There are criteria of selection and if they meet the criteria, we will award them the scholarship. One of the criteria is that, is this person genuinely vulnerable? Is this person genuinely poor? If we feel a person is able to pay, we don’t give scholarship.

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What is the reason for this project? Why Nigeria?

We have compassion to love our neighbours; you are my neighbour. I have been coming to Nigeria for the past 27 years with volunteers; dentists, teachers, nurses, farmers and others. They pay their way to come here all by themselves to contribute and give something back to youths. Our vision is education for jobs. People come here to seek sponsors and get jobs after; they earn more than their parents.

Is this a regular school people come to after secondary school education?

It is for school leavers; anyone from 16, 17 years to 40 years. The first and most important thing in life to have a good foundation is to follow Jesus Christ. Jesus said what is the point in gaining the whole world and losing your soul? We are not going to live forever; one day, we will wake up and say, ‘oh, I am 40, 50, 75’ and we begin to ask the question, ‘what have I done with my life, where do I go from here? Who have I helped or have I just lived for myself?’ Jesus Christ didn’t live for himself; he lived for other people. I am trying to be like Him.

Where and how do you get your teachers, since it is basically not a money-making business?

We do normal selections. We interview them, look at their qualifications and character, and if we see that they are good for the job, we give them the job.