From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Wife of the Anambra State Governor, Mrs Nonye Soludo, has advocated for full return to farming as a recipe towards crashing the skyrocketing prices of food items in the country.
The Anambra First Lady, who spoke while addressing women across the 21 local governments of the state who converged in Awka during the weekend to mark her birthday said there is an urgent need for families to own household gardens and maintained that the only way to beat the current food crises and rising killer diseases is to embrace agriculture in the most organic practice.
“Food items are exorbitant today because many people have abandoned farming. This is what I preach in my initiative for us to go back to healthy eating, because 90 percent of the sicknesses suffered by people are as a result of wrong food intake. People should also develop the habit of exercising regularly,” she said.
Over 5000 women, children, widows, the poor, the elderly and physically challenged went home with cash gifts, bags of rice, beans and gallons of palm oil courtesy of the governor’s wife, who has continued to touch lives with her ‘Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo” project.
Also at the event, widows and widowers benefited from free medical outreach as one of the features of the event. Not done yet, Mrs Soludo also distributed 1000 packs of hybrid seeds to support her ongoing free seeds programme and garden campaign.
A 12-year old, Ebubechukwu Ozoemena, from Onitsha suffering cerebral palsy and could not walk also received a brand new wheelchair from the governor’s wife.
Mrs Soludo said the greatest privilege of being alive is to ensure that such existence is fulfilled through deeds that would leave lasting impacts on humanity. Expressing satisfaction and appreciation to God for her life at 54, she said each chapter of her life, has been a reflection of God’s immense grace, promising to continue to use her existence to bring greater social change.
Coordinator of Healthy Living With Nonye Soludo and Anambra State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, tasked people on healthy living and lifestyle modifications, and noted the importance of exercise in promoting healthy living.
He announced that high sugar level, high blood pressure and glaucoma were on the increase among people tested at the event, and advised people to always access medical services being provided by the Governor Chukwuma Soludo administration.