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By Bolaji Okunola
A nongovernmental organisation, Navaney Foundation, has extended kind gestures to orthopaedic patients while vowing to do more for the betterment of the country.
The foundation, whose core aim is feeding the needy, sponsoring kids to school and empowering the widow, disclosed this while dashing out wheelchairs and crutches to patients at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos.
Speaking at the charity occasion which took place on Saturday, November 29, founder, Navaney Foundation, Chief John Apkan, expressed gratitude to staff and patients of the hospital for embracing the idea while urging all never to relent in their bid to make Nigeria great. Apkan, however, hinted that the charity was a tip of the iceberg compared to other plans in the offing, which would be executed in a few days’ time.
Speaking further, the philanthropist revealed that over N30 million is being spent annually to ensure all projects are executed while he looks forward to extending the foundation’s tentacles beyond Lagos.
“This is our way of giving back to society and I’m happy to see people smile, especially the less privileged. Let me also make it clear that this is not the first time we’ve been doing this and as a matter of fact, the foundation has been known for meaningful outreach which can promote the image of the country.
“I often tell people that the government can’t do it alone. If others can embrace this idea, I bet you the country will be a great place to leave. I can’t imagine seeing patients finding it difficult to walk while we, as a foundation, have what it takes to assist. Aside from this outreach, we also have other plans, which includes the back to school programme where we share school uniforms, school books and other writing materials to students.
“This year, we gave about 200 children from five schools in Lagos and we are hoping to do more. We also have a free food programme where we feed the needy in various communities. We are also known to have given palliatives to widows and we’ve been doing this majorly for residents of Kirikiri town, Lawanson, Ojuelegba and other areas in Lagos. We’re just starting, this is our third year and our aim is to extend this beyond Lagos. We ought to have gone beyond this vicinity but finance has been a major tool halting our plan and I hope with time, things will get better, for it’s not easy spending over N30 million annually on charity. If we get more money, then I can assure you we’ll reach out to more people,” he assured.
In a similar vein, the foundation’s Communication Manager, Onyinye Udeh, also hinted that all hands are on deck to ensure a project of this magnitude is being executed regularly while she prays for patients’ quick recovery from their various ailments.
The foundation, however, received kudos from beneficiaries, Idris Alabi and Okunade Gabriel. The duo expressed their gratitude while praying for the outfit to get bigger in days to come.
