624 Indigent Persons Get N400m Assistance Piloted by Obaseki in Edo

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin-city

A group, Edo State Mercy Committee, has disbursed the sum of N400 million to assist over 624 indigent persons in the state between 2020 and 2024.

The Mercy Committee is a humanitarian effort piloted by Governor Godwin Obaseki after his first term of office.

Disclosing this at a press conference in Benin-city, capital of Edo State, yesterday, the Secretary of the committee, Igbogo Ebamiyo Peter, said the setting up of the Mercy Committee by Obaseki was one of the success stories of the state government.

According to him, “Immediately after the inauguration of His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki’s second tenure on November 12, 2020, he raised a five man team into a committee he called ‘Mercy Committee’, which I am privileged to serve as the secretary.

“The scope of this committee is to oversee requests for assistance letters from indigent persons sent to His Excellency, carry out an assessment on the claims of the letters, interface, interview the claimants, review and make recommendations on such requests which must fall within health challenges, mini-business assistance, education, household economic strengthening among others.

“Today, after almost four years in office, we can empirically state that Governor Godwin Obaseki, through the Mercy Committee, received several accolades and commendations for reaching out to many indigent citizens.”

Igbogo said Governor Obaseki, through the Mercy Committee, reached out to 235 indigent persons in 2021, and in 2022, he assisted 151 persons; in 2023, 196 benefited, while in 2024, he assisted 142 persons.

He said the governor budgeted N10 million monthly for the committee to assist indigent people in the state, adding however that following the increase in the monthly demand by these indigent persons, the governor increased the budget by 100 percent at the beginning of 2024.

In all, according to the Committee Secretary, no fewer than 624 persons have so far benefited with well over N400 million spent on the programme.

Giving the breakdown of beneficiaries, Igbogo said those seeking the governor’s assistance were those with health related issues, like cancer, kidney transplant, heart, liver and other chronic health challenges with over 128 persons receiving support in the last three and a half years.

He also disclosed that over 131 indigent persons also asked and received assistance for education, saying that these persons were assisted with school aids to further or complete their education programmes.

On other assistance, Igbogo said about 287 persons were helped in mini- businesses, adding that they were supported with funds to either start or upgrade their already existing businesses, while 148 persons got assistance for household ‘economic strengthening’ among others.

“Interestingly, when we interfaced with these beneficiaries, our data shows that 42.7 percent of applications received and treated are from Edo Southern Senatorial District. 28.9 percent from Edo Central, while 21 percent represented requests from the Edo North senatorial district.

“Five percent of the applications were received from Edo indigenes in the diaspora and 2.4 percent were from none Edo indigenes within and outside Edo State, age limit notwithstanding,” Igbogo further disclosed.

Some of the beneficiaries, including Mrs. Omosede Imogan, whose daughter received assistance for the treatment of a hole in the heart, commended Governor Obaseki for constituting the committee which she said saved so many lives in the state.