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Tag: Okorocha’s wife

  • Okorocha’s wife, communities laud Seplat’s CSR

    Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, operator of the NNPC/Seplat Joint Venture, has launched the inaugural edition of its Eye Can See Programme  Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes for its host communities in Imo State.

    The programme was initiated six years ago in Sapele, Delta State, the operational base of Seplat’s Western assets.

    The launch witnessed a large turnout.

    For the programme, beneficiaries had their eyes tested, received prescribed glasses and some had surgeries for cataract related visual impairments.

    The Safe Motherhood Programme saw beneficiaries – pregnant women and nursing mothers – receive lectures on danger signs of pregnancy and nutrition in pregnancy. They were also presented with Safe Motherhood kits made up of a maternity bag, vitamin supplements, treated mosquito nets and all medical items required for safe delivery.

    In her remarks at the event, Imo State governor’s wife, Dr Nneoma Okorocha, commended Seplat for thits CSR initiatives which she said have impacted the lives of members of the host communities.

    She urged the company to sustain the programme towards deepening its contribution to the development of the state’s health sub-sector.

    Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc Chief Executive Officer Mr. Austin Avuru said the  communities were critical stakeholders of the company, which underscores the need to execute the CSR programmes.

    He assured that the company is  committed to sustaining the CSR health and other programmes  targeted at the socio-economic development of the state.

    The firm’s General Manager, External Affairs & Communications Dr. Chioma Nwachuku said both health programmes are in alignment with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Developing Goals (SDG) 3, which is to “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all”.

    The event was attended by traditional rulers, community leaders, key government functionaries and management/staff of Sepalt. The programme will continue for a week to offer opportunity to more beneficiaries in Imo State.

     

  • Okorocha’s wife’s shelter for widows project earns praise

    Okorocha’s wife’s shelter for widows project earns praise

    No fewer than 134 two-bedroom bungalows have been built for widows in Imo State. Though a lot more needs to be done, wife of the state governor Mrs Nneoma Okorocha has been praised for putting up these shelters for indigent women who lost their husbands and breadwinners.

    The Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Imo State Council showered praise on Mrs Okorocha, saying her feat was unprecedented in the state.

    Mrs Okorocha through her pet project, She Needs A Roof Project (SNARP) constructed over 134 two-bedroom bungalows for the indigent widows across the 27 Local Government Areas of the State.

    For this act of kindness and care for the abandoned and less privileged of the society, the Imo governor’s wife was conferred with the award of the ‘Most Outstanding Governor’s Wife’ by the Chapel.

    Speaking during the presentation of the Award at the New Concorde Hotel Owerri, the Chairman of the Chapel, Mr. Athan Agbakwuru said that the award was in recognition of the efforts of the governor’s wife in alleviating the plight of the indigent widows and other vulnerable people in the state.

    He explained that the award was in appreciation of the uncommon feat recorded by the wife of the Governor and to spur her to do more for the indigent people in the state.

    According to Agbakwuru, the recipient, through the SNARP project, has been able to save the lives of hundreds of widows who were hitherto living in “despicable squalors” without any hope of succour.

    He noted further that the Award is not among the politically motivated ones but a genuine symbol of appreciation by a section of the society that is known to criticise almost all the projects and programmes of government.

    He said, “The success story of the Rochas Okorocha administration cannot be complete without mention of the gross input of the SNARP initiative. This great and noble woman has built over 174 two-bedroom bungalows for indigent widows and orphans across the 27 Council Areas of the state. Besides that, she has also established three Skill Acquisition Centres in the three Senatorial Zones of the State.

    “As [the] ever vigilant watchdog of the society, the Chapel after meticulous consideration, tipped her for this rare honour and recognition. She has surpassed her predecessors and contemporaries alike in all ramifications. Above all, the SNARP and the Skill Acquisition Programmes have been found to have no partisan coloration as beneficiaries are drawn from among those who are genuinely in need of succour, irrespective of political and religious affiliations”.

    Also speaking at the event, the National Vice President of NUJ (Southeast), Deacon Chris Isiguzo, who presented the Award, said that the Award met the set standard of the Union, especially after considering the impact of the SNARP project.

    He pointed out that it is the responsibility of the NUJ to ensure that public office holders are accountable to the people, adding that what the recipient is doing should be emulated by other wives of governors across the country.

    Isiguzo who was accompanied by the NUJ Secretary Zone C (Southeast), Comrade Kenneth Oforma and the Chairman of the Enugu State Council of the NUJ, Comrade Rex Chinweuba, commended the governor’s wife for her vision and commitment in making life meaningful for the indigent widows and other downtrodden.

    According to him, “when we received the letter that the Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ, Imo State wants to give Award to the governor’s wife due to her achievements, we conducted our own investigations before confirming the letter. Without mincing words, the national leadership of the NUJ and the Imo State Council of NUJ endorsed this Award and are behind the Correspondents’ Chapel in this well-deserved honour on the First Lady of Imo State”.

    In a similar vein, the President of Igbo Media Professionals, Apostle Victor Sorokwu, said that the achievements of the Imo Governor’s wife, is a further testimony of the Igbo spirit.

    He noted that unlike the pet projects of other Governors’ wives, which he said are often conduit pipes for siphoning state resources, the SNARP has made housing available for a section of the society that has been abandoned, adding that the project should be adopted by the Federal and State Governments.

    Also in his comments, the member representing Onuimo Local Government Area in the State House of Assembly, Hon Chinedu Offor, commended the recipient for her genuine love and compassion for the needy.

    Offor, a correspondent of the Voice of America (VOA) before he joined politics in 2011, added that, “throughout the 15 years I worked for VOA, I covered the activities of presidents, governors and top public office holders, [but] none has given succour to the needy like Okorocha’s wife”.

    He said the governor’s wife’s achievements have helped to “eliminate the obnoxious widowhood practices,” and that they are “worth rewarding with a Noble Peace Prize”.

    The Chairman of the event, Prof. Nnamdi Obiareri, said that the uncommon achievements record by the recipient through her projects, which has alleviated the sufferings of the vulnerable people in the state, rightly justified the Award.

    Responding, the wife of the Governor, said that the Award coming from a non-partisan but a critical group of people like journalists will certainly motivate her to continue to contribute to making life better for the less privileged.

    She commended the Chapel for their commitment to the activities for the SNARP, adding that the cooperation of the journalists has brought the need awareness that has watered the success of the project.

    She said, “This is one of the awards that have touched my heart specially. This is so because it is coming from a section of people that has been with me all through the journey of SNARP. So there assessment cannot be said to be political or induced. Every time I have piles of letter requesting to confer me with one award or the other but I have always declined because most of those awards are actually for sale.

    “I did not know much about the award until the delegation from the Correspondents’ visited my office to give me details about the motive behind the award. They insisted that the award is apolitical, just like the process of selecting the SNARP beneficiaries and I sincerely cherish this award”.

     

  • SSG: Okorocha’s wife not in charge of any ministry

    SSG: Okorocha’s wife not in charge of any ministry

    Contrary to reports in some dailies that Imo State governor’s wife, Nneoma Rochas Okorocha, oversees four ministries, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Sir George Eche, yesterday described the publication as malicious and unfounded.
    Eche, who spoke at the presentation of the Most Outstanding Governor’s Wife Award to the governor’s wife by the Correspondents’ Chapel, where he represented Okorocha, said the report was the handiwork of those he called mischief makers who were bent on creating chaos in the polity.
    He said: “My attention has been drawn to a statement on the front page of a national daily of December 19 in which I was quoted out of context as having said that the wife of the governor oversees four ministries and to urgently clarify the allegation for consumption of the reading public. This is one mischief designed to mislead.
    “It was a simple but colourful event in which the governor’s wife was being honoured deservedly by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Imo State. While speaking for the governor, who I was privileged to represent, I had the occasion to highlight some of the many achievements of the governor’s wife, including her SNARP Programme, which has provided shelter for nearly 200 indigent widows; her WODDI project, by which women have brought the presence of God to bear on the state and her continued projection of the hitherto marginalised womenfolk to the extent that women now control many key ministries, such as Health, Works, Transport and Education.
    “It was this last point that was given undue prominence while suppressing the truth and other points. The fact remains that Her Excellency, despite this cruel twist of facts, remains, in her humility, the number one woman and mother of the State. Her efforts at bringing up the profile and welfare of women remains unrivalled and the envy of detractors, some of whom have had and lost such chances.”

  • Okorocha’s wife feeds 6, 000 widows, orphans

    Okorocha’s wife feeds 6, 000 widows, orphans

    It was a day the needy would  remember as wife of Imo State governor, Nneoma Okorocha gave food to widows and orphans in the state.

    No fewer than 6,000 less privileged persons benefitted from the gesture, which was at the instance of her project.

    The atmosphere at the Imo International Convention Centre (IICC) venue of the event was emotional as the old women, most of them leaning heavily on their walking sticks waited hopefully to get their share of the largesse.

    •The beneficiaries sharing the items
    •The beneficiaries sharing the items

    The beneficiaries drawn from the 27 Local Government Areas of the State were treated to sumptuous meals and given food items ranging from bags of rice, vegetable oil, yam, wrappers and cash.

    It was a clear demonstration of kindness and care for the downtrodden as the beneficiaries, who were mostly octogenarians, freely associated and danced with the First Lady and her husband, Governor Rochas Okorocha.

    Some of them could not hide their emotions as they broke down in tears before the Imo First Lady and prayed God to reward her for her acts of kindness and philanthropy. It would be recalled that the Governor’s wife had built over 120 bungalows for widows in the state under another of her pet project, She Needs a Roof Project (SNARP).

    The event also featured a prayer session by renowned clergymen and women, who took turn to pray for the widows and orphans as well as the First family and the state.

    Addressing the emotion provoking crowd, the First Lady, said the gesture was her own little way of expressing love for humanity, adding that nothing is too much to put a smile on the faces of people who feel rejected by the society.

    She appealed to the people to always find joy in sharing their wealth with the less privileged, positing that “wealth is meaningless when it cannot be used to help the poor and the needy in the society”.

    The First Lady, who was dressed in full chef regalia, also added that it gives her great joy and a sense of fulfillment to serve humanity, especially those that not well to do.

    •Governor Okorocha dancing with the chairman of the event, Mrs Orji
    •Governor Okorocha dancing with the chairman of the event, Mrs Orji

    Governor Okorocha, who was at the event, commended the First Lady for the initiative, adding that it is the culture of the family to cater for the needs of those that are helpless in the society.

    According to him, “we have a culture of philanthropy and it gives us a great joy to assist the needy around us. Today is a very important they because we have put smiles on the face of these indigent persons and widows. This is not about politics because everything about my life has always been about philanthropy”.

    Expressing her gratitude, an indigent widow from Izombe, in Oguta Council Area of the state, Dorathy Orji, who was randomly selected by the Governor to chair the event, described the gesture as unprecedented and uncommon show of kindness to the underprivileged people.

    The octogenarian, who looked overwhelmed by the joy of sitting between the Governor and the First Lady, said that the widows and other beneficiaries will not forget the day in a hurry, while praying for God to reward the First Lady for her kindness.

    Another beneficiary, Mrs. Fidelia Chikwem, from Mbano Council Area of the state, said that she lacked words to express her feelings, “I don’t know what to say but I pray God to reward our First Lady accordingly. Prayer is the only way we can reward her. This is not the first time she is assisting us; she has been doing it for a long time. She has even built houses for so many widows in the state”.