To mitigate the economic hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Celestine Izunobi Foundation, has doled out foodstuff to Amaebu Ebenator community in Imo State.
Responding to the lockdown order by the state government, the founder of the foundation, Chief Celestine Izunobi, said there was no better time to make the donation than this trying moment. Distributing the relief materials recently at his residence in the community, he said every philanthropic gesture, no matter how small, would solve someone’s need during this crisis.
The items the foundation distributed included bags of rice, live cows, cartons of tomato paste, tubers of yam and cartons of noodles. At the end of the exercise, 10 villages in the area benefited from the gifts.
The founder, who is an active member of All Progressives Congress (APC), said in addition to the foodstuff, the NGO also gave financial relief to youths from the villages.
The men, youth and women wings of Amaebu-Ebenator Town Union executives were on hand to ensure that the distribution was done without hitches. Members of the executive showered praises on the donor for the gesture.
Excited over the items, the beneficiaries sang and danced, saying that Izunobi’s intervention was timely. They recalled how their benefactor always came to their aid at different critical times.
“Some of his numerous gestures to the community include the construction of a classroom at the community’s technical school; the roofing of the community’s town hall; scholarship awards to indigenous students; empowerment programmes for youths and many other gestures,” a member of the community, Arthur Uche, said.
Addressing the groups at each point, Izunobi appreciated their compliance with the sit-at-home directive. He urged them to continue to maintain personal hygiene by frequently washing their hands, maintaining social distance, using hand sanitisers and staying at home, except when on essential duty.
The NGO founder thanked the Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, for being proactive in tackling the virus. He attributed the low number of cases in the state largely to the efforts of the Uzodinma government.
He also commended the state government by giving foodstuffs as palliatives to the elderly and other vulnerable people, and he added that the efforts would go a long way in alleviating the plight of the people.
Notable residents in the community, Livingstone Ikebuasi and Felix Obodoechi, joined others to commend Izunobi and his foundation for the foodstuff, which they said was worth millions of naira.
The vice president-general of Amaebu Ebenator, on behalf of the town union in the community, asked God to give Izunobi more strength and resources to continue to do good to humanity.