By Ogbonna Jerry
Umuahia
In her motherly affection and demonstration of empathy to the needy, the wife of Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, Mrs. Priscilla Otti, embarked on a generous humanitarian reach-out, as she donated cash, food- items, and toiletries to six charity homes in Aba and Umuahia, the state capital recently.
The initiative by the First Lady of God’s own State underscores her unwavering commitment to improving the living standard of the less privileged persons through this monumental initiative.
Mrs. Otti, who was moved by the hardship confronting families and the country at large, extended lovely and kind gestures to the children who do not have direct care from their biological parents and donated the sum of #6,000,000, foodstuff, and toiletries to six orphanages and destitute homes.
The following charity homes received the sum of #1,000,000 each, 30 bags of 5 kg rice, noodles, other foodstuffs, and routine toiletries for the children. In addition, the caregivers were handed the cash of #150,000 and #100,000, respectively, in recognition of their care and support to the children and for serving the state and humanity in this capacity.
The beneficiaries of charity homes from the First Lady of Abia State are; So-Said Charity Homes for the Vulnerable Persons, Amibo Ubakala, which received #1,000,000 cash donation, food items, toiletries, and other cash support of #150,000 to the carers, St. Vicente De Paul Centre For Mentally And Physically Challenged Persons, Umuahii Ndume, Ibeku; received #1,000,000 cash donation, food items, toiletries, and cash support of #150,000 to the carers,SDA Motherless Babies Home received #1,000,000 in cash donations, food items, toiletries, and cash support of #100,000 to the carers, Ngwa Road Motherless Babies Home received #1,000,000 in cash donations, food items, toiletries, and cash support of #100,000 to the caregivers, Agape Charity Home, Avodim, Ipupe Amuba, and Ubakala received #1,000,000 cash donation, food items, toiletries, and cash support of #150,000 to the carers, while Ahiaeke Motherless Babies Home received #1,000,000 cash donation, food items, toiletries, and cash support of #150,000 to the carers.
The representative of the First Lady during the visits included Mrs. Adaeze Emetu, the wife of the Deputy Governor, who assured the children of the government’s readiness to uplift and identify with the less- privileged with an initiative that aimed at pontificating a community of love, compassion, and humanity.
She equally poured encomium on the steadfast love and care of people and the “Eyes on the duty” disposition of the mother of the State.
It would be recalled that Mrs. Otti always has a soft spot for charity homes and their carers, who are providing essential services to the state in raising the children to become better citizens in the future.
The commissioner for Women’s Affairs, Mrs. Maureen Aghukwa, and the Special Assistant (SA) to the Governor on Poverty Alleviation and Vulnerable Groups, Mrs. Ifeoma Thomas, who accompanied the wife of the Deputy Governor to the homes, lauded the First Lady for the kind gesture.”Life changing and impacting contribution”, she remarked.
Mrs Ifeoma in her contribn, opined that Mrs. Priscilla Otti and his husband are a square peg in a round hole, adding that the husband is busy attracting investors and delivering good governance to Abians, the First Lady is following suit in ameliorating the plights of the less-privileged in recognition of one humanity and one God.
Responding to the visit and generous donations, the caregivers were full of appreciation to the First Lady and her team, as Rev. Sister Maria Anita Ogbonna, the caregiver of Ahiaeke Motherless Babies Home, thanked Mrs. Otti for her timely show of love and a real demonstration of what motherhood represents.” I want to sincerely thank the First Lady, Mrs. Priscilla Otti for this noble engagement. It is a welcome development and timely. We are happy to receive these donations and the children are excited, too”, she maintained.
She informed that those donations will go a long way in providing for other essential needs needed for the day-to-day operation of the home, even as Rev. Sister Ogbonna also commended the good job of the Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, for providing an enabling environment for the First Lady to reach out to the children of the motherless and vulnerable and for the quality governance he is delivering to the people of Abia State.
“It is very crucial that I make these remarks before you. This administration, since its inception, has prioritized the welfare and well-being of the vulnerable communities in the State, unlike previous administrations, and I pray for God’s wisdom and resources to sustain this productive tempo of good governance”, she said.
Madam Oyibo Okonkwo, the caregiver of Agape Charity Home, praised the wisdom of the First Lady and her team for always remembering the motherless and destitute children who are part of the citizens of the State and Nigeria at large but were often neglected by the government in the areas of social mobility and welfare packages.
Oyibo noted that with these kind gestures by the First Lady, other leaders who are in the position of authority and services to the people of the state, should emulate her and do the same thing to charity homes in their localities.
“The job we are doing is not an easy task, but we and the children are rarely remembered by the government as if we are not part of the State and country. It takes virtue and wisdom, just like what the mother of the State has done, to know the suffering of any of its disadvantaged children.”
She regretted that children who were brought up in charity homes were being touted or were often seen as non-human beings, and as such, their needs were not attended to by the government, adding that only a few understand that they are human beings with all the rights and privileges from the Creator in them.
“We are very happy for this visit by the First Lady and her team and, most especially, the donations. The children shall continue to pray for the state, the First Lady, and the Governor to succeed in all their programs,” she said.
Also recall that earlier this year, the First Lady made a similar donation to Susan Charity Home in Ukwa-West with #1,000,000, food supplies, and other essentials to aid their operation.
Mrs. Priscilla Otti’s pragmatic and ‘direct-to-life programs amplify her altruistic candor toward the fates of the vulnerable children in the state.
Her commitments to advancing humanity, bringing hope, succor, and love to the less privileged, and the deposition of time-tested impacts on human lives will forever be remembered in the state.
