By SAM EYOBOKA

THIRTY-NINE year old Friday Emufou Ororumen, father of  two, had an accident a couple of years ago resulting in the amputation of one of his legs and today he walks with the aid of an artificial limb. He has been feeding his family with whatever he earns from a barbing salon in the NPA area of Warri in Delta State.

He almost missed a tremendous opportunity on Boxing Day when his application form number 6718 became one of the six that won a brand new car at the just concluded 2013 edition of Word of Life Bible Church/Eagle Flight Micro-Finance Bank’s empowerment scheme/poverty alleviation programme. Pastor Aje, who anchored the raffle draw, was already shouting “Going, Going, Go….”, when after a long while, another voice (that of Bridget Appiah) appealed to him to tarry for a while, adding, “He is physically challenged….”

It took him a great deal of effort to meander through the sea of persons who had gathered in the arena as early as 6.00 a.m. for the programme. Ororumen, a native of Agbarho in Ughelli North Local Government area of the state who fellowships with God Grace Ministry, sauntered down the road with a walking stick and took quite an effort to make it to the centre where his entry was verified. Courtesy of the church, the man is now an owner of a Hyundai Verna which he would use as a taxi cab in Warri. He also got a total of N500,000 for fuel from the two state governors that were present.

At the programme, six brand new Hyundai Verna cars, 12 tricycles completely registered, 100 grinding machines, generating sets, refrigerators, flat screen televisions, 100 bags of rice among other consolation gifts were dolled out to lucky winners as part of the celebration of Boxing Day as well as the 8th anniversary of the micro-finance bank.
Other winners of the six cars include, 57 year old trader, Ibikun Esther Agweho, Anthony Ogori, 36, Isaac Onorhode Edjeba, 61, Oumagbo Peter Orogun, 62, and 29-year old Efe Jerry Ikpen.

Twelve others including Amaka Queen Bayen, Abayomi Sunday Adeyemi, Isaac Akpodenden Benin, Abiodun John Amune, Cordelia Onome Oyibode, Attachegbe Ojoneogecha Henry, Edwin Oteghekpen, Ruth Smart, Promise Amos, Peter Chukwudum Ojeh, Ufuoma Loveth Ufot, Rita Igho Onomuorhoya went home with a tricycle each. One hundred persons also benefited from the largesse carting away one grinding machine each.

Impressed by the kind gesture of the National President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, governors of Delta and Akwa Ibom states, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and Godswill Akpabio, commended the founder of the church for the yearly hospitality to the people of Niger Delta region.

Akpabio said it is imperative of other wealthy and well positioned Nigerians to give back to the society part of what they have achieved, just as the twosome cautioned the Niger Delta youths against criminal activities, urging them to rather avail themselves of various empowerment opportunities provided by the government and some individuals.
Akpabio noted that while it is the responsibility of government to eradicate poverty, “Government alone cannot do it, there is the need for Public Private Partnership (PPP) like what Pastor Oritsejafor has been doing over the years.”
He described the eight year-old poverty reduction programme as not only assisting the needy, but also a form of relief to the government “a gesture I would urge other Nigerians to emulate.”

In his submission, Delta State governor, Dr. Uduaghan said what the Word of Life Bible Church in collaboration with the micro-finance bank have been doing over the years is not only alleviating poverty but has also helped in no small dimension in reducing crime among the people of Delta State.
According to him; “Before now, we are all aware the rate at which crime rate, armed robbery, kidnapping and other vices were rampant but all these have reduced to a considerable extent.”

The governor lamented that gone were the days when mothers encouraged their children to engage in kidnapping to make money due to endemic poverty but that trend has reduced drastically as a result of similar poverty alleviation programme like this plus the one the government is doing.
To support the yearly programme, Gov. Akpabio gave the sum of N10 million to the church and gave N250,000 each to the first four winners of the car while his host, Dr. Uduagan pledged the sum of N15 million for the church and gave N250,000 each to the six lucky winners of the cars.

In similar vein, Mr. Erhuani Godbless also donated N5 million to support the programme.
The governors further warned that nobody should take poverty as an excuse to engage in criminal activities, saying: “while we are doing our best to ensure that poverty is reduced to the barest minimum, the government would not hesitate to take drastic measures against any act that is inimical to the peace of the society.”
Oritsejafor, on his part, urged all public officers, who were better positioned to set aside half of their salaries at least for some months and put it together to assist the poor in the country.

He maintained that the essence of the Christmas season can be derived from John 3:16 of the Holy Bible which says: “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shoul not perish, but have everlasting life.”

According to him, giving is living and he would not be tired of giving because God gave His very best for humanity.
His wife, Pastor Helen Oritsejafor who expressed gratitude to the two governors and other dignitaries who graced the occasion also urged the recepients of the various items to judiciously usd same to better the lot of their families and as many members of the society they can help.

On follow programme, Mama Helen, as she is fondly called, narrated the tremedous business acumen displayed by a blind man who won a motorcycle a couple of years back and his testimony neccesitated the state governor, Dr. Uduaghan to give him a car the following year.

“Papa was sharing with us this morning the testimony of a woman who was the first female to win a car in the eight history of the programme. He said she cornered him in appreciation of what the ministry had done for her because through the car, she had married and things have started looking up for her nad family. She presented a Christmas gift to Papa in appreciation. How else can one be happy? The fact that we literarily see people smiling home and being able to make judicious use of the items to benefit themselves and humanity. It gives us excitement,” she stated.

Dignitaries at the empowerment programme included the Deputy Majority leader in the House of Representatives, Hon. Leo Ogor, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, another member of the House Daniel Reneiju, Archbishop Michael Okah, Mr. Paul Odili and others.