Deputy Senate President Ike
Ekweremadu recently met with widows, the indigent and less-privileged
members of his Enugu West Senatorial zone and splashed more than N40
million on various empowerment programmes, writes Christopher Isiguzo
For the widows, indigent and
less-privileged undergraduates as well as adult learners from the five
local government areas that make up Enugu West Senatorial zone as well
as Enugu North and Igboeze North Local Government Areas in Enugu East
and Enugu North Senatorial zones, Saturday, July 23 would remain
indelible in their hearts. The day clearly marked a turning point in
their lives, especially for the over 250 widows and about 500
undergraduates presently studying in different universities and
polytechnics across the country.
Ordinarily, most of them who have lost
their benefactors and bread-winners may have given up on life, but
mother luck smiled on them as they made the list of those who benefited
from the empowerment programme of the Deputy Senate President and the
senator representing Enugu West Senatorial zone in the upper chamber of
the National Assembly, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
It was the third edition of the Ikeoha
Foundation Adult Literacy Day and 2015/2016 Scholarship and Bursary
Award ceremony which took place at Aguobu-Owa headquarters of Ezeagu
Local Government Area of Enugu State. Though the event was
intermittently punctuated by downpour, but the lucky beneficiaries felt
the impact of heavier downpour that came in form of different
empowerment facilities.
The Deputy Senate President at the
occasion splashed more than N40 million on his constituents on various
empowerment programmes, including bursary of N40, 000 to 300
undergraduates, full scholarship of N400, 000 each to 16 undergraduates,
250 sewing machines to widows and 200 grinding machines to 200 first
school leaving adult graduands and 50 motorbikes to 50 of their tutors.
The adult learners from the 32 adult literacy centres who participated
in the march past that added colour to the event also received
mouth-watering gifts in form of cash and facilities.
Ikeoha Foundation is the pet project of
the lawmaker founded in 1997 but registered in 2004 with a specific
mission to provide for the basic educational and health needs of
families living in poverty and below the radar of government-sponsored
interventions. The foundation achieves its mission through enhancing
their access to quality education and healthcare and by building their
capacity to participate in mainstream social, political and economic
activities of their communities.
Prior to the event over 10, 000 women and
youths had received basic education in the 32 adult literacy centres,
2, 572 students had completed their university education courtesy of the
foundation’s bursary scheme while 32 undergraduates are enjoying full
scholarships. Also, 4,250 women and youths had been trained in
agro-farming, 1000 participated in ICT training while 6000 widows were
supported with household equipment, agro-inputs and financial assistance
since 2007.
It was with that in mind that thousands
of people from the senatorial zone temporarily relocated to the Ezeagu
headquarters to be part of yet another history. Most of them according
to sources had thought the empowerment programme had been suspended
since the advent of the All Progressives Congress-led administration at
the centre with their benefactor being in the opposition Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP). They were however wrong as the senator took his
charity works a notch higher in its third edition with a pledge to even
do more.
Notable leaders of the zone and beyond
including Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who led members of his cabinet to
the event, members of the National Assembly and State Assembly, council
chairmen, PDP leaders including Chief Anayo Onwuegbu, Ambassadors Goddy
Agbo and Fidelia Njeze, were part of the event.
Over 30 traditional rulers from various
communities in the state showed more than a passing presence as they
showered encomiums on the lawmaker vowing to stand by him throughout his
trying moments. Led by their Chairman, Igwe Hafford Agana, the royal
fathers also presented him with the traditional Ofor, symbol of
authority of the Igbo people.
The Executive Director of the foundation,
Mrs. Cindy Ezeugwu in her welcome address, said the programme was one
of the cardinal approaches through which the foundation fulfills its
mission of building people and empowering communities through
reintegrating men and women who do not initially have opportunity for
formal education into mainstream activities by providing them the
platform to become literate.
“Today, the adult learners have learned
so much and are now able to function effectively in different domains of
learning including cognitive, affective and psychomotor: they can now
manipulate their phones and communicate with their loved ones, perform
some arithmetical operations that can help them to enhance and grow
their businesses, trade and vocational operations, they can now engage
in various other crafts and skills that can help to sustain them and
their families as well as being able to perform their civic, social and
religious duties,” she said.
On her part before handing over the
facilities, the wife of the Deputy Senate President, Dr. Nwanneka
Ekweremadu, said the empowerment programme was “a passion and feeling my
husband and I nursed many years ago and we are happy to see it
blossom.”
She noted that no matter the situation,
they would continue on that part as that was the only way they could
easily express appreciation to God who “has led us thus far.”
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Senate
president, Ekweremadu said the charity works were his own way of
appreciating God for his kindness to his family over the years, adding
that his present travails would not constitute a setback in the charity
works.
While shrugging off his ongoing trial at
the Federal High Court, Abuja, for alleged forgery of the Standing Rules
of the Senate the lawmaker reaffirmed his innocence insisting that his
traducers would meet a brickwall as nobody would remove him from office.
He noted that his trajectory was from God and as such he would survive the sea billows.
“I decided to handover N400, 000 to each
of the 20 students as scholarships for their education for four years.
Ordinarily, it would have been N100, 000 each year but since am not sure
if I will continue as Deputy Senate President until tomorrow, we have
decided to give it out at once to ensure that nothing happens to the
education of these young ones.
“Whether they succeed in chasing me out
or not, you will continue to go to school. But, I have to assure you
that nobody will remove me. It is not by power or by might but by the
grace of God. Our trajectory is from God. Nobody will do us anything. No
matter what is happening, I can assure you that we shall survive them
all,” he said.
He praised the Enugu State Governor,
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, for his achievements especially the prompt payment of
the monthly salaries of workers in the state noting that he would
continue to partner with the governor.
“Be assured that we will continue to
support you; whoever is your friend will be our friend; whoever is your
enemy will have us to contend with,” he told the governor.
On his part, the governor said the event
marked a milestone in the promotion of literacy in the state, adding
that it was a welcome complement to the efforts of the state government
in improving education.
“Education is the bedrock of any society,
that’s why we have continued to channel resources to that sector, “he
said, while urging other well to do individuals to follow in the
footsteps of the senator. He pledged his administration’s readiness to
continue to support the foundation.
Other speakers at the event including
Ambassador Njeze, chairman of Ezeagu council, Chukwudi Ezinwa, chairman
of the PDP in the state, Augustine Nnamani among others prayed God to
continue to shower his blessings on the senator.
One of the beneficiaries, Uka-Offor
Justice, a 100-level law student of the University of Nigeria, Enugu
Campus expressed appreciation to the lawmaker for his magnanimity noting
that the with the scholarship she had no other obstacle in her quest
for education.
“We went through a rigorous process of
screening before we got to this level and luckily enough, I made good
results at my O’level which put me in better stead to make the final
list of those selected to benefit from this programme of Ikeoha. I can
honestly tell you that it is not easy for somebody to release such an
amount of money to people who are not even related to him.
“This money will go a long way in
facilitating my academic pursuit especially at the university level and
he has even promised to do more for us as the years go by. It takes
somebody with such milk of human kindness to engage in this type of
empowerment. I feel more than excited to be given this rare opportunity
to achieve my dream of becoming a lawyer. We have a saying in my place,
‘you have to first of all throw the bone to the dog and watch him
wrestle with the spirits’. Our senator has played his part and I can
assure you that we will equally play our own part by not disappointing
him,” Justice noted.
Another beneficiary of the bursary
scheme, a-500 Civil Engineering student of the Nnamdi Azikiwe
University, Awka, Anambra State, Eze Jude Ejiofor who hails from
Umuogbo-Agu in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, said
his joy had no boundaries at the gesture by the lawmaker. He said he was
more excited to be a beneficiary of the bursary programme because the
lawmaker extended the goodwill to those that are not within his
senatorial district. Igboeze North is in Enugu North senatorial zone
with Senator Chuka Utazi as the lawmaker representing the area.
“For years now, Ekweremadu has been
extending his empowerment programme to our area. Countless number of
students have benefited from the programme from my area here and am glad
to have made the list. Ordinarily, one would say Ekweremadu owes us
nothing, we didn’t vote for him; he’s not representing my area but
because he sees the entire Enugu State and even the South-east as his
constituency, he has continued to extend this to us.
“Am more than excited and my prayer for
him is that the good Lord will continue to take him to greater level, ”
he said while applauding the senator’s undying love for education.
Also, another student from Enugu North
Local Government Area in Enugu-East Senatorial zone, Edwin Ugwu, a-HND 2
Electrical Electronics Engineering student of Federal Polytechnic, Oko
in Anambra State expressed appreciation to the senator for extending his
Foundation’s empowerment programme beyond his senatorial zone.
“Ikeoha is representing Enugu West
senatorial zone, while my own senator is Senator Gilbert Nnaji. A total
of 25 of us from this local government are benefitting from his
programme. That goes to show a clear demonstration of love for the
people. Apart from this programme, he is one of the most outstanding
senators this nation has ever produced.
“All of us are praying for him to keep
going higher. Those presently seeking for his downfall must know that
they are up against the less-privileged people of Enugu State who have
received hope and help from Ikeoha. They should know that the God of the
poor will never forsake his own people. We are praying for him and I
know that nothing untoward would happen to him. He shall serve out his
tenure as the Deputy Senate President and still go higher,” Ugwu who
hails from Enugu-Ngwo noted.
One of the graduands of the Ikeoha
foundation Adult Learning Programme from Enugu Ahu Achi Study Centre in
Oji-River Local Government Area, Mrs. Josephine Iloka, said she was
happy to have finally graduated with a First School Leaving Certificate
courtesy of the Deputy Senate President.
“My son let me tell you, I can now read
and write. I can now spell words correctly. I can even name the 36
states and their capitals now. I never knew there would be a time when
I, Josephine Iloka will be reading and writing. I even operate handsets
now. I am very happy and as you can see, Ikeoha has changed our lives
forever. Today, I can do so many things I couldn’t do in the past. My
prayer is that our good Lord will continue to keep Ikeoha for us the
women and for our children he has given free education,” the elderly
woman noted amidst excitement.
Madam Odenigbo Francisca, one of the
beneficiaries of the Widowhood Empowerment Initiative from Ezeagu and
Mrs. Ekperechi Agbo from Udi who also got a sewing machine from the
scheme poured encomiums on the senator for the gesture. According to
them, the Grinding and Sewing machines would positively changed their
lives.
“Unlike in the past when he gave us money
to take care of oursleves, you can see what we got today and no doubt,
these would go a long way in changing our lives. He has decided to show
us not only how to fish but he has also given us the fishing tools. We
are not going to take care of ourselves. This sewing machine will give
birth to another machine by the Grace of God. And it will go a long way
in assisting us to take care of our children.
Odenigbo specifically praised Ekweremadu
for remembering the widows in his empowerment scheme, stressing that
“the God of the widows will remember him. Whoever that wants to bring
him down will go down while Ikeoha will keep rising.”
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