BY ETOP EKANEM

Over 215 widows of Okori  in Eleme, Rivers State, were given N20,000 each  by the Appolus Chu Foundation to hire farmlands for cultivation this season.

The programme, the Coordinator of the Foundation, Mr. Ngbala Okpabi, said was conceived considering the fact that the cost of hiring a piece of farmland in the community is N5,000 and so the Foundation decided to give each of the beneficiaries N20,000 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.

She said: “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,”  adding that widows face a lot of challenges in the society.”