Steady Winds.

There's something about December that forces a pause. That end moment to take stock. This year demanded a lot—personally, professionally, and for the Ojah Scholarship Foundation. It tested my limits more than once. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary.

In 2024, I made the decision to return to university to pursue a Master’s in Sustainable Energy at the University of Queensland. Going back into academic rigor after years in the workforce is confronting. The coursework was demanding, the expectations high, and balancing study alongside work, OSF, and family life required even more sacrifice. One thing that kept me moving was the clarity of my purpose: the commitment I have to truly understand the energy transition and to contribute meaningfully to sustainable development within Australia and also in Nigeria, at some point.

That is what has carried me through.

2025 has played out against a demanding global backdrop with Africa sitting at the intersection of multiple pressures. Across the continent, inflation, currency instability, and energy insecurity continued to test economic resilience, while ongoing security unrests and climate-related shocks displaced communities, straining their already limited resources. In Nigeria, these challenges were felt acutely—through rising education costs, inconsistent power supply, and shrinking opportunities for young people—making access to quality education more critical than ever. At the same time, Australia grappled with its own realities: cost-of-living pressures, workforce shortages, and an accelerating energy transition agenda. Experiencing these dynamics across both regions reinforced a shared lesson-sustainable progress depends amongst other things on technical capability and long-term investment in people. In an increasingly unstable world, education remains one of the few levers that consistently delivers opportunity.

My family is relocating cities again this year. Anyone who has done it understands the rigour, beyond the logistics, it’s new routines that now have to be built, finding ones footing, and ensuring everyone in the family settles into a new normal. With our first daughter going into high school this year, it increases the pressure we're all feeling to find calm and settle in quickly.

While I was deep in coursework, OSF continued to move forward. This year, four of our scholars graduated—two with First Class honours. What a proud moment for us. Four for us isn't an abstract outcome or just a number, this is four young people whom we've walked with in the last three years and pushed through barriers to ensure they remain on-course. To see them cross this finish line reinforces why OSF exists: opportunity, when matched with commitment, produces real results.

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And then there was Her Next Step (HNS), the OSF female mentorship program that was launched by my wife this year. Her dream has always been to equip young women with the mindset, confidence, and practical skills required for personal long-term success and leadership. Through structured mentorship and intentional leadership development, HNS supports its mentees to think critically and live purposefully. In this short time, we are already seeing these young women step forward and take ownership of challenges, asking hard questions, and beginning to see themselves not just as program participants, but as future leaders. The impact we aim for is true economic independence for these women, and a generation eager to lead in their communities and professions.

Our volunteers and mentors have played a critical role throughout the year. Industry leaders, academics, and professionals gave their time generously—reviewing CVs, offering 1:1 guidance, sharing hard-earned lessons. Your investment in our scholars will continue to pay dividends well beyond this year. Our partner, KingMakers stood firmly with us in continuing to support our work financially. Microsoft also showed us their staunch commitment all year-long through Benevity their giving program. This belief is invaluable to an organisation that is finding its feet and doing its best to navigate steadily.

Through various internal challenges, the OSF community held strong and I applaud these amzing scholars who continue to inspire us with their resilience. You all are paying the price today for a secure future tomorrow. Our mentors provide direction and our families keep us steady.

I’m grateful for this year-the progress and the pressure alike. The difficult moments revealed more about my capacity than the easy ones ever could.

To our scholars: this is your journey, stay focused and keep pushing.

To our mentors: thank you for showing up and standing in the gap. Your impact is real.

To our partners: your support creates opportunities. We don’t take it lightly.

To my wife and my girls: you are the foundation beneath everything I do.

Next year will bring its own tests but for now, we’re keeping steady and the mission continues.

See you all in 2026.