BY ETOP EKANEM

Over 200 widows of Okori in Eleme, River States, were given N20, 000 each  by the Appolus Chu Foundation to hire farmlands for cultivation this season.

The Coordinator of the Foundation, Mr. Ngbala Okpabi, said the programme  was conceived considering the fact that the cost of hiring a piece of farmland in the community costs N5,000 and so the Foundation decided to give each of the beneficiaries, N20,000.00, which will enable them acquire two pieces of farmlands for farming and then use the balance of N10,000.00 for cultivating of the farmlands.

Okpabi, who said the disbursement of agricultural funds was part of the second phase of the Foundation’s programmes where over 500 youths, women and men are to benefit from various skills and community development schemes, noted: “This is a farming session and we want to give them some funds with which they would use in hiring farmlands on which they would engage in farming.”

It is believed that by so doing, the Foundation is not only providing food security to Eleme but also to the entire state and the nation as a whole.

While advising  the widows not misuse the funds nor put it into any other use apart from that which it was given, Okpabi said they hope that if they hire the farmlands and cultivate the farms successfully, they would be able to feed themselves and also take care of their other needs from the harvests.

Beneficiaries express  gratitude

A widow and a woman’s leader in Alode, a community in Okori-Eleme, Mrs. Comfort Saka could not hide her excitement as she burst into joyous dance when she was given the money.  “Today is a wonderful day for the widows in the Okori community and we are most grateful to the founder of HRH Chief Appolus Chu Foundation, who has done so many things for us.  And now he has made me to feel free to carry out my farming business this season without bothering myself with so much thoughts and anxiety.

“In Eleme here, if you do not have a husband, nobody gives you a farmland and even when you struggle to get one, you get a fresh farm where you have to look for someone to clear the bush before you could plant your crops and as a widow, this takes a lot of struggles.   But today, I can do my farming confidently without bothering my head so much on how the work will be carried out. Appolus Chu has made things easy for us and so we have made up our minds not to disappoint him.”

The President, Widows’ Association of Eleme, Mrs. Elizabeth Mba-Ngei, expressed gratitude to Chief Appolus for deeming it right to alleviate the suffering of the widows.

She said: “We give God the glory for what He has done through our son, Chief Appolus Chu”, she said, adding that widows face a lot of challenges in the society.”

Speaking further, Mba-Ngei said, “Wealth is from God and it is not a sin, but failure to assist others with your wealth is a sin.”

Let us now show concern and love to everybody that needs our help just like Chief Appolus Chu is doing with his wealth.

“I want to assure our brother that what he is doing in this land of Eleme has gone a long way to bring sunshine to the lives of many who would have been dead and gone by now.   He is not the only wealthy man in Eleme but out of love, compassion and the leading of the spirit of God that dwells in him, he gives willing to the less privilege in our community.

“I wish that others would follow his footstep. If all the wealthy sons of Eleme do likewise, the Eleme community would become a heaven on earth.

“I want to assure him that all the good works that he is doing to help the needy in this community and elsewhere would be a memorial for generations to come and would remain a source of blessing for his entire family and generation to come.

Mrs. Evelyn Ada Gokpa, the Owa Eh Eleme advised the widows to be grateful to God and also to HRH Appolus Chu Foundation for bringing smiles to their faces.

“Today the foundation remembers the widows, especially at the actual time of farming by giving them not only the money to acquire farmlands but also money to pay for labourers that would help them in cultivating their farmlands. They should put the money into good use knowing that there are a lot of wealthy people in this community who do not have the mind of doing what Chief Appolus Chu is doing in Eleme. And we pray that God should continue to enrich him and also create more open doors for him as he continues to work for the good of the society,” Gokpa noted.