Despite huge investment and claim of judicious distribution of palliatives to the poorest of the poor in the FCT to cushion the effects of hunger, as the World experiences coronavirus pandemic, hope eventually came to two near-forgotten villages at the center of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Saturday as nongovernmental organization NGO under the aegis of AUXANO foundation, Fetes the inhabitants of the two villages with food items and clothing to put a smile on their faces.

Speaking to our Reporters the Convener stated that the Outreach with the themed “Charity Without Boundaries” was sponsored by a good-spirited Nigerian who preferred to be identified as Anonymous donor.

According to her, the Pandemic  Communicate Project-3 was a progression from the previous outreaches done in Niger State in May and Kuchingoro IDP camp early this month. She thanks the volunteers and team who come from different professional backgrounds and sacrifice their time in active volunteering. She thanked them for their unswerving commitment in taking food and relief materials to where it’s most needed during these difficult and challenging times of COVID 19.

Dakwo village and Durumi 111/ Dubeina, are among the immediate villages which form the constituency of Honourable Micha Jiba of who is currently serving in the Ninth Assembly.

It was a pitiable atmosphere as indigent people scramble over bags of rice while lamenting of government total neglect in everything despite producing a member of parliament in the ninth

According to one of the senior village Chief at Durumi 111 Chief Philip Babawa, who represented the village paramount Chief of the village Chief Bawa Iya, during the visit, stated that over a decade now the villages have continued to experience horrible land grabbing from government officials and politicians at their ancestral home amidst developmental neglect. Mr. Babawa, however, indicated that the villages have since requested from government public health centers, primary and secondary schools, pipe born water but of no avail.

His words, what the village (Durumi 111/Dubeina) is battling now are this unnecessary encroachment on the village lands by land grabbers in connivance with the government officials. The impossible is about to happen because the primary school built by the village to educate her children has had its land allocated to a private buyer for the use of another business entirely instead of educating the children from the village”

Further speaking, when asked, Mr. Philip, made the visitors know that the village has explored all avenues to stop such invasion but all effort was of no avail as the allottee has already fenced the school to begin possible demolition and development.

This is our ancestral home and we will do everything to protect our land. You see, we are doing everything to engage the services of those to help us do the fight. And for what we are sure of, there has never been previously government resettlement policy within our community, so this kind of invasion is quite unusual and contrary to the way government resettle the inhabitants”

Further lamenting, the villagers, maintained its leadership has sorted for help from various agencies including the LEA primary education authority, headquarters to save the only school within the villages as well as FCDA but of no true substance to save the school. this is the school we built by ourselves before handing it to the LEA to ensure government funding. So the school built in 2002, has since over a decade funded by the government. Neither do we hear of the school to another location nor channeling our children to another”

Chief Philip, while stressing the plight of the people, largely emphasized on non-presence of primary health care, as the villagers depend on patent medicine dealers for health care, a practice he had condemned is shot of modern health care system, he also indicated could sometimes result to an improper medical procedure or self-medication. He said there has not been good portable water for the people, as the people rely on the manually dogged boreholes which are harmful to human health.

At Dakwo village, the associate Parish Priest of Dakwo Catholic Church, Rev, fr. Keneth  Agwu, whose poor members of his church benefited on the same day, showered commendations on the AUXANO Foundation, on its effort to tilting their efforts toward giving to the poorest of the poor.

The act is highly commendable, for them to come here to alleviate people from hunger, and for what you can see people from the major religious setting are here collecting food items without discrimination. And it does not matter how small. A gift means what comes from one’s heart. But I believe that those who are not reached today should be patient as they are to be remembered next time”

While addressing the media officially during the long day exercise, the founder of NGO and the Chief financier, Dr. Grace Babajide, said that the primary aim of the voluntary organization is to extend love and care for the less privileged in the society.

According to her, the association drives its fund from donor agencies and individual donors who make contacts with the organization through the web.

The World is remembering the life and personality of Dr. Nelson Mandela of South Africa today, which lived an exemplary life. The donor saw the work we have done before across the states and the FCT through the net and decided to contact us to make donations. I can tell you that we are just a group of like minds who pull our individual resources together to fund the organization. For 8 years we have been carrying the boarding ourselves without a sponsor”

On the life span of the organization, the medical practitioner said that the vision is to ensure that the NGO becomes an international agency that can work with others in like manner.

According to her, the projection is to build the voluntary organization as a globally recognized charity organization, with its branches all over the world more especially the less privileged countries of the world. She said that for the target to be achieved that the NGO will sooner than later engage staffs whose wages are within the capacity of the organization.

Commenting on the infidelity challenges bedeviling the operation of non-organization NGOs, presently in Nigeria, Dr. Grace Babajide, insisted that the group is not oblivion of the scenario as such has brought the operation of some NGOs to a stop and extinction. She said, “That is why we are taking our time to put a formidable structure in setting up the voluntary organization to an international level. It is also with the fear that we do not want to be associated with or identifies with this dubious intention”

Also commenting, Rev. fr. Johnson Igor, a member of the NGO and immediate elder brother to the founder, remarked that identifying with the organization has remained a relief since the month of July remains memorable in the life of the family owing to the death of their father, who spent his little wealth with the less privileged while living.

The 4th of February each year has remained memorable in our life.  It is the Month our father left this World. “My younger sister has wanted to live behind a legacy. My father was a man who brought people together through his meager wealth while living. As you can see I am a priest, we don’t even have basic salary though we have allowances since COVID 19, it has been on hold. What we are doing here is out of passion and again giving out food which is a fundamental element in life.

While admonishing well-meaning Nigerians to embrace giving as a spiritual exercise and thanking the anonymous donor of the items giving said that there are blessings from God whenever gifts are extended to the poor, which does not take much out of the rich ones in the society.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share