300 Widows, Others Empowered in Delta

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

At least 300 widows have been empowered under a special economic and social support scheme for certain categories of less privileged members of the society, courtesy of the Foundation for Effective Leadership and Development (FELD), which unfolded various packages to mark its 10th anniversary, during a ceremony held in Ogwashi-Uku, headquarters of Aniocha South Local Government Area, yesterday.

In addition, interest-free loans totaling N12 million were disbursed to about 210 persons drawn from the wards of Aniocha South Local Government Area and adjoining communities of the state.

Each of 300 widows at the empowerment venue also got a bag of rice and the sum of N5,000 aside from the loan meant for their respective micro, small and medium businesses.

Delta State Governor and the Vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, was announced as patron of FELD by the Founder and Chairman of the foundation, Chief Paul Adingwupu, who disclosed that the choice of Okowa was by consensus.

Adingwupu, who is also a Christian minister, Iamented  that the COVID-19 greatly disrupted the programme and activities of FELD in 2020 but thanked God the  foundation had bounced back and stronger for the people.

Governor Okowa, who was represented by the Deputy Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Ochor Christopher Ochor, promised to continue to encourage good spirited individuals and organisations to provide support for the people, including empowerment of youths and women, saying such was complementary to the Greater Delta agenda of his administration.

He commended the FELD for 10 years of consistent commitment to improving the quality of lives of the people even beyond his immediate environment or community, saying that his party was determined to ensure better living standards for the majority of people in the country hence he was soliciting support for all PDP candidates in 2023.

The Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Goodwin Elumelu, also promised to secure N100 million  from his constituency’s allocation at the National Assembly, before May next year, to support the foundation’s activities, especially economic empowerment programmes, targeted at men and women from Delta North senatorial district.

Elumelu, representing Aniocha-Oshimili federal constituency in the House of Representatives, who was also honoued as a patron of the Foundation, promised to inject N100 million into FELD for more empowerment of the people under the foundation’s economic and social development programme.

Elumelu said: “I urge you, touch lives; government cannot do it alone. Individuals can; no matter how small, please do. Touch lives, give to people, and when you give be rest assured that God’s blessing is on you.

“Having said that, let me say on behalf of my office that before I exit office in May 2023, as Minority Leader I’m injecting N100 million to support FELD Foundation. The item will be there, Empowerment for FELD Foundation; we are considering the budget. I want to assure you that it will be there.

“You will get it between February and April 2023 (and) we will come back either here or Asaba to disburse the money. But  rest assured that N100 million is available to access from my office by FELD Foundation members.”

Earlier in his welcome address, Chairman of FELD Local Organising Committee, Godwin Okoh, said that the event was a celebration of the vision given to Hon. Paul Adingwupu, who saw and felt the needs of the idle youths the under privileged and the vulnerable adults and proceeded to develop plan for their meaningful empowerment without considering their ethnic, religious or political affiliations.

According to the legal practitioner, the anniversary celebration was aptly tagged, ’10 years of touching lives’, noting that in its 10 years of operation, many lives have indeed been “touched and transformed” through the FELD.

“FELD Foundation sensitised and revived the culture of studying among our youths in senior secondary schools and tertiary institutions through its television programme, ‘My Education Quiz Play’ with cash winnings.”

Over 225 adults and more than 60 students in Aniocha Local Government areas benefitted from its educational and rural empowerment programmes.

Quoting the late but reverred South African freedom fighter and former President, Madiba Nelson Mandela, Okoh said: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived; it is what difference we have made to the lives of others that would determine the significance of the life we led.”

Winners of the novelty  march-past, which featured about 25 groups made of beneficiaries of the FELD programmes and activities in the past, received cash prizes and consolation gifts ranging from  N100,000, N50,000 to N20,000.

For the cultural dancing contest, beneficiaries from Ward 6B emerged tops and went home with N500,000, those from Ward 4 came second and got N300,000 while FELD beneficiaries from Ward 9A (Ewulu) took home the cash prize of N200,000 for placing third.