Supporting the Needy

 

 Apart from food, shelter and clothe, there are other necessities of life like good education, balanced health and true empowerment that now make our today’s world more comforting. So much so, the desire to acquire these is even more demanding nowadays that conventional government structure may be overwhelmed in a bid to afford the totality of it to its citizenry.

In Nigeria therefore, being among developing nations, also hook up to the sorrows of corruption, ineptitude and failures on the part of policy makers to decisively tackle issues headon, the fate of Nigeria citizens in accessing this basic necessity of existence in some sort is a mirage.

Ironically, in our society as we have it, however, the word comfort vis in the provision of basic necessity of life is aportioned, a relative term. That is to say, the man in his comfort zone holds tenaciously his definition to what a balance health, sound education and true empowerment should be. And further explains, justifying his instinct that the victim (in this case the deprived) be blame should he fall short in his/her inability to live within these secured social status.

However, where social authorities have failed to make life meaningful for its teaming population, a private organisation, the Agbonjagwe Leemon Ikpea Foundation (ALIF), is bridging the gap through empowerment of widows, artisans, indigent pupils/students in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions.

To this end, Mrs. Okosun Veronica, a widow who resides in Uromi, headquarters of Esan North-east Local Government area of Edo State sees the ALIF definition of poverty reduction as timely. In her explanation, that empowerment embodies taking off the yoke of deprivation off her shoulder years after the demise of her husband.

Being a widow she recounts the difficulties she had to undergo in an attempt to shoulder the responsibility of making a world for her four children left behind at the death of her husband, that the moment she received her empowerment cheque, tears of joy gently roll down her cheek and she reminisced: "It is so pathetic to explain. And only the victim, [in this case the widow] affected by it will be the one to feel the pain raising children without a father. But I thank God today that with the initiative and mission of ALIF, making a new lease of life out for me as a beneficiary of the foundation, I can't but keep thanking God for granting me succour through this foundation".  

Mrs. Okosun is not alone. Patricia Imhansiemhonjie, Lucy Orukpe, Esese Caroline all had this to say: "Now we can adequately fend for our children. Our thanks go to this foundation for coming to our rescue". According to them, the Agbonjagwe Leemon Ikpea Foundation processes the true solution to the problems of education, health and empowerment being a "light upon a darkened world".

These women were among the 44 widows that benefited from the Agbonjagwe Leemon Ikpea Foundation (ALIF), on Saturday November 28, 2015 at Ewatto in Esan South-east Local Government Area of the state.

Apart from the widows, artisans like mechanics, vulcanizers, fashion designers, cobblers also benefited as they were given monetary support to set up small businesses courtesy of the founder and chairman of the foundation, Chief (Dr.) Leemon Ikpea, the Adolor of Ewatto

Chief Ikpea in his address said that the foundation was established in November 2012 with the mission to offer a lifeline to helpless but brilliant students at all levels of education: primary, secondary and tertiary; assist widows and gifted artisans to set up small businesses; provide access to primary health care for people living in rural communities; and provide infrastructure such as water boreholes to ameliorate hardship in rural communities.

Chief Ikpea affirmed: "I wish to restate that the foundation is dedicated to the memory of our parents, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson Ikpea who gave so much for my siblings and I to become what we are today.

"Though they had no material things to give us, they loved and taught us the virtues of hard work, integrity and honesty, which has sustained us till date. ALIF is our own little way of saying 'thank you' to their memories, by identifying with the less privileged, the sick and the aged.

"For our friends here today who want to identify with ALIF, we will be grateful if you can raise a cheque in the name of the foundation to support its work. [since] every kobo raised will be judiciously utilized under the close watch of the board of trustees.

"By the grace of God, we shall do more in the coming months and years and put smiles on the faces of the less privileged, the sick and the aged," Chief Lee Ikpea assured. 

In the words of Mr, Odein Ajumogobia (SAN), former Minister of Foreign Affairs and chairman of the occasion, "ALIF is an interesting one at that since its philosophy stems from thought by three brothers of their late parents Mr. and Mrs. Johnson  Grace Ikpea family.
Reeling out the report card of the foundation's activities since the inception of ALIF three years ago, Visible Difference Irabor, Executive Director of the foundation noted that "we have touched about 448 lives through financial support to widows and artisans to establish small businesses; scholarship awards 384 students, across various universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and secondary schools in Nigeria; bursary awards to some law graduates to augment their expenses in law school; and annual youth football event aimed at opening career paths for those that exhibit outstanding football talent."

Other areas of intervention by the foundation, he said includes the donation of 14-seater Toyota Hiace buses to some secondary schools; donation of relief materials to internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps at the height of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria; mentoring programmes organised for youths in various schools; free medical treatment and health talks in various communities; and payment of monthly stipend to over 140 people; including, footing an all inclusive flight, passage and hospital bill of eight people to India, two to Israel, and two to the United Kingdom.

"Let me say that the achievements listed above are not about how much we have done, but how much love the foundation has put into the things we do. If I have to borrow words from the founder and my mentor, Chief Ikpea, "we are doing all we are doing to the glory of Almighty God". Irabor further said "And because God is infinite,  how much we do as a foundation is not as important as the love we put into what we do

"We therefore wish to implore everyone here present that, no matter your status, let us begin to show love and care to the needy and the less privileged, starting from those in our immediate environment. But today, ALIF's activities have been extended to almost all states in the southern part of Nigeria. Efforts are in top gear to extend our tentacles to other parts of Nigeria. Love must begin at home.

"Mr. Chairman, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, you will agree with me that we cannot achieve this spread to more people in other parts without your support". At this juncture, Irabor requested well meaning individuals on the society to partner with ALIF to make life bearable to the less endowed.

His words: "May I respectfully use this opportunity to invite you to partner with ALIF to bring smiles to the faces of more of the needy in society by supporting the foundation in cash or kind.