Felix Ikem, Nsukka
Touched by the growing hardships triggered by national lockdown in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Secretary-General of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Chief Willy Ezugwu, has donated food items to over 1,000 indigent households in Ogbo-Ozalla Opi Community in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State.
Chief Ezugwu, the ‘Eze’ of Ogbo-Ozalla Opi Kingdom in the community, initiated the distribution of the food aid over the weekend at his palace.
The relief materials which included tubers of yam, bags of rice, cartons of noodles, soaps, were distributed to the select indigents member of the community.
In a chat with Daily Sun, Chief Ezugwu said the aim of the aid is to cushion the economic effect of the lockdown declared by the government to curb the spread of COVID-19, which has affected over 5,000 Nigerians and led to over a hundred deaths.
In his words: ‘I decided to help the Enugu State government and Nsukks local government to alleviate the suffering of the people. I’m doing this from my pocket, not from government coffers. This is the much I can do for now to my people to cushion the effect of the coronavirus pandemic in our community.
‘I know it has not been easy for our people and so I have to carry out this humanitarian initiative to put smiles on the faces of the indigent member of my community so as to give them hope and a sense of belonging,’ he said.
He urged the beneficiaries of the food aid to maintain a high level of personal hygiene, to wear face masks in public, observe social distance as well as abide by other government directives to control the spread of the deadly virus.
Also speaking, Chief Patrick Omeje the Chairman of Nsukka local government, who was represented by Hon Damian Eze, the Secretary of the council, thanked Chief Ezugwu for supporting the government with his palliative donations, describing it as ‘uncommon generosity’.
‘This is an uncommon generosity, especially towards the indigents in the community,’ he noted.
Hon Eze called other public-spirited individuals to do the same in their various areas and community.
Expressing her happiness, one of the beneficiaries, Mrs Okachanma Loretta, hailed Chief Ezugwu for the humanitarian gesture.
According to her, ‘we have been overwhelmed by the current situation of things caused by the coronavirus. This palliative no doubt will go a long way in alleviating some of our sufferings.’
Another beneficiary, Mrs Agbo Rita, extolled Ezugwu for remembering them at a trying time. She prayed that God continues to bless their benefactors for their kind gesture.