No fewer than 150 persons have benefitted from the 2020 annual Ekuku-Agbor Community Empowerment Programme ECEP aimed at giving a sense of belonging to the needy in the town.
The Chairlady of the ECEP Mrs Faith Akume who was speaking at the event said the yearly event was part of measures to preach love and alleviate poverty among vulnerable indigenes of Ekuku-Agbor in Ika South local government area of Delta State.
Mrs Akume who was represented by the Deputy Chairman of the group Mr Emmanuel Ojemeh called on well to do indigenes of the community at home and abroad to join the state government in the fight against poverty,underdevelopment and crime.
Mrs Akume said the Ekuku-Agbor Community Empowerment Programme ECEP was an initiative of sons and daughters of the town that are at home and diaspora stressing that their cardinal goal was to economically empower Ekuku-Agbor sons and daughters through vocational training and presentation of started packs to them on graduation.
The Chairlady said the food items including rice and tomatoes presented to the people was to enable them have a feel of the yuletide.
She advised beneficiaries to also tap into the empowerment programmes of the state government to become economically independent and promised that more people will benefit in subsequent years from the group’s philanthropic work.
The Chairlady commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for his visionary leadership in the state and assured him of their support in addressing the infrastructural and socioeconomic challenge of the people of Ekuku-Agbor.
Mrs Akume said the inauguration of the new security outfit, Operation Delta Hawk,massive construction and reconstruction of roads in riverine and upland communities,empowerment of youths and women,Widows monthly stipend and other steps at wealth creation and fight against insecurity by Governor Okowa were laudable and urged him to do more.
On the second wave of Covid-19, she appealed to Deltans and Nigerians in general to obey all protocols that would keep the virus at bay emphasizing that more lives were being claimed abroad despite medical and technological advancement.
A stakeholder of the group Elder Michael Enumah said the empowerment programme was a modest way of giving back to the society and enjoined other well placed individuals to share in the burden of the physically challenged and the econonomically poor.
He gave assurance that the empowerment programme would be sustained because of its positive impact in the town.
Some of the beneficiaries including Mrs Janet Onwubia thanked the donors for putting smiles on the faces of the vulnerable group in Ekuku-Agbor and prayed God to bless them so that more persons would be accommodated in subsequent years.
A football competition between Ogbe Agidi and Oroma quarters was also sponsored by the philanthropic group.
At the end of the game Ogbe Agidi thrashed Oroma quarters three goals to nil.
The Chairlady of the group Mrs Akume said the football competition was part of measures to channel the minds of youths into positive ventures rather than allow them be a ready tool in the hands of mischief makers.
Highlight of the event which was witnessed by the Uboh of Ekuku-Agbor and other prominent chiefs from the town was the presentation of the food items to the beneficiaries.