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UNESC Enlightens Mpape Community on COVID-19

Published

5 years ago

February 15, 2021

Joel Ajayi

United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNESC) at the weekend, carried out a one-day awareness and sensitization campaign to educate Mpape residents on how to prevent contracting COVID-19.

The Special Advisory Council of United Nations in Nigeria UNESC has been working hard toward poverty eradication, education of citizen and help in disseminating relevant information and prevention strategies against COVID-19 in the country stressed that the pandemic is real that they should take it serious.

COVID-19 pandemic is already affecting around 146,354 people and at the origin of over 1,753 deaths in Nigeria, the health situation is fed by a lack of strategic official communication, or even by widespread misinformation.

While educating over 200 women on Sunday in Abuja the Medical Director of UNESC Dr Juliet Essien Ayei said Covid-19 is real and that nobody should deceive you that there is no Covid-19

She expressed that, the sanitary crisis and the myths around it are interacting with the socio-economic difficulties and conflicts that the country is currently facing, either by aggravating them or by risking engendering new ones.

According to her, the more you take care of your environment the healthier our future.

“Some people may think that Covid-19 is witchcraft but please it is not.

“This virus can last for seven hours, so make sure you wash your hands with soap because soap can easily wash it away.

“Wear your facemask whenever you are going out and remove it when you are in your house. You know Covid-19 is unlike tuberculosis that can spread through coughing.”

Dr. Ayei urged women to take care of themselves properly: “Rule to follow to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to protect ourselves from COVID—19 is just to follow protocols and make our society better.

“Keep distance, cover your cough, and use of face mask”: she advised

On his own, the National President of the UNESC Africa Prof Nathan Tor Luga said revealed that aim of UNESC in Nigeria is to eradicate poverty and this is the first time the Nigeria UNESC will do such programme and subsequently, we will do much more than this.

“By April 12, 2021, we are going to have world president and the country general here in Nigeria and after April we are going to start our UNESC project fully across all the 36 States in Nigeria.

“Our vision is by 2030 we will be able to achieve our goal which is part of the United Nations development goals which we are aiming at eradicating poverty.

“One of the areas we are going to focus is education because without education we cannot achieve any meaningful development…

“We want to really kick start the poverty eradication, and we believe that without education, knowledge and there nothing you can do in solving someone’s problem, we are going to visit schools to impact the knowledge to the school.”

In her address, the Chairman of Nigeria UNESC Dr. Ngozi Blessing expressed that the organization will leave no stone unturned to ensure Nigerians are empower to eradicate poverty in the country.

Our target is to achieve SGD goal by the year 2030 and we classify it into three the socio-economic, health and poverty that is why we are here to start doing something let people start benefiting from us.

We are equally showing them some love, by distributing face masks, sanitizer, and food items to residents.

As for the National Director for program UNESC in Nigeria Amb. Hendricks Omale said this awareness is going to be replicated in other all SGD goals.

We are here as teams and this cut across all professionals and we believe in giving our best to society.

“Our target is to eradicate poverty in Nigeria; We are not just talking about giving money alone, we are going to do financial illiteracy, we are going to keep the courage in people to different financial expert, we are going to do seminars, we are going to do empowerments.

“We are going to that in partnership with government what we are to do is to increase the standard of the living to the people positively and realize all the SDG goals.”

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Daughters of Dr. Charles Ononiwu, Chiamanda and Chiamaka, Launch Debut Books to Uplift Hearts Facing Life’s Struggles

Published

3 weeks ago

October 10, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

At just 18 and 20 years old, Chiamanda and Chiamaka Ononiwu — daughters of renowned Nigerian surgeon Dr. Charles Ononiwu — have achieved a remarkable milestone with the release of their debut inspirational books, Do Not Be Afraid and Waterfalls.

Their literary journey began six years ago, during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic. While the world was engulfed in fear and uncertainty, the then 13- and 15-year-old sisters turned inward, using writing as an outlet to process their emotions, express their faith, and reach out to others with messages of hope and resilience.

What began as a quiet act of creativity blossomed into two powerful books that now serve as beacons of light for readers navigating life’s storms.

Eighteen-year-old Chiamanda Ononiwu is the author of Do Not Be Afraid. A passionate Electrical Engineering student , she is also a proud alumna of Intellichild TLC and Valedictorian of Great Blessings School, Class of 2022.

In her book, she addresses the emotional challenges many young people face and draws from her personal faith to offer guidance and encouragement.

Her elder sister, Chiamaka Ononiwu, 20, is a final-year medical student at Babcock University in Nigeria. She penned Waterfalls, a heartfelt and deeply spiritual work she describes as divinely inspired. Chiamaka views her writing as a calling — a mission to uplift souls and bring hope to those struggling with life’s challenges.

“Personally, I would say it all started with the idea of inclusion, inspired by real human experiences,” Chiamaka shared. “We’ve had conversations with people who’ve gone through difficult situations — including issues and those stories helped shape what I write today.”

She added, “It’s all about encouraging people to face life with faith. We began this journey during a dark time in the world, and I felt called to create something that could offer comfort and hope — not just locally, but globally.”

The official book launch and signing ceremony took place on Wednesday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, and was attended by family, friends, colleagues, and well-wishers. It was a celebration of creativity, faith, and youthful brilliance, as the sisters presented their work to an inspired audience.

Speaking at the event, Chiamaka emphasized the core message of her book: “Waterfalls reminds readers that God is always watching over His people. He doesn’t bring fear — He brings peace, hope, and love. I want readers to find comfort and assurance in that truth.”

For Chiamanda, her book is a message to young people who may feel overwhelmed by life’s pressures: “Do Not Be Afraid is especially for youth navigating difficult times. No matter how hard life gets, you can always find strength and direction in God’s word.”

Writing came naturally to both sisters. Chiamaka recalled, “Even as a child, I loved writing short stories for my siblings. When the opportunity came to publish, I knew it was time to share my message with a wider audience.”

Despite their demanding academic paths, both young women balanced their studies with writing through perseverance and faith.

Chiamanda and Chiamaka are united by a shared dream — to inspire people across the world with their writing.

Chiamaka expressed Further; “Our biggest hope is that these books will reach people who need to know that God is real, that He’s always with them, and that through Him, anything is possible,” Chiamaka said.

With Do Not Be Afraid and Waterfalls, the Ononiwu sisters have not only created literary works — they’ve created lifelines. Their voices, grounded in faith and driven by purpose, remind readers everywhere that even in the darkest moments, God’s light never fades.

Their father, Dr. Charles Ononiwu — a distinguished surgeon and deeply devoted parent — also spoke at the event, sharing the journey from his perspective.

“For me, my number one priority has always been to care for children — not just medically, but also by encouraging them academically and in the basics of life,” he said.

He recounted a moving moment with Chiamanda, who approached him with the idea of sharing her story publicly to inspire others.

“She came to me and said she wanted to talk to her peers, to share how she had been comforted, and to help them see that everything would be okay,” he recalled. “As a father, my role was to guide her. I support both of them, help activate their strengths, and provide direction.”

Dr. Ononiwu made the decision to fund the publication of their books himself, believing in the power of their message.

“I told them, ‘You have something the world needs. You can make an impact in the lives of others,’” he said. “I believe every child has a gift. It is our responsibility as parents not to dismiss them, but to help them discover and nurture their talents.”

He encouraged all parents to support their children’s creative pursuits, noting, “Every person has something special inside them — no one is without talent. It’s just a matter of looking inward, discovering that gift, and sharing it with the world.”

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