When former Minister of
Aviation and Princess of Ogbaru, Stella Odua, flagged off N250 million
ultra-modern school of Aeronautics and Aircraft Maintenance Engineering project
at Akili-Ozizo community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, many
people saw the gesture as one of those gimmicks politicians play to attract
followership.
She added: “The school is going to
contribute in multiple aspect of our lives and give our children knowledge for
them to acquire skills and practical knowledge to be employable in near future.
I am a beneficiary of this noble federal government project which I am sure
will help the students to be better people in future”. She expressed optimism
that the project which was mapped initially to gulp N250 million will be
completed on time and according to specification while commending
President Goodluck Jonathan for the innovation he had brought into educational
sector. The occasion was attended by all the traditional rulers from Ogbaru
clan, led by the traditional rulers of Ohita and Odekpe communities
respectively, Igwe Nelson Esimai and Igwe Emma Onyia, attracted dignitaries
from all works of life.
Odua soon extended her gestures to
the entire seven local councils in Anambra North namely: Onitsha North, Onitsha
South, Anambra East, Anambra West, Ogbaru, Oyi and Ayamelum.
Among other things, she floated a
foundation- Princess Stella Odua Foundation (PSOF) to benefit a total of 10,000
youths, women, farmers, students and artisans from the Senatorial zone. The
beneficiaries range from those meant for skill acquisition in different crafts,
while others benefited from cash gifts as loans. Her desire according to her
was to ensure that the foundation works and touches lives in five key areas of
special educational endowment for the indigent youths of the 52 communities in
the zone, initiating and anchoring skill acquisition centers in delineated
zones of the senatorial district, as well as sponsoring aspiring priests to
seminaries in pursuit of missionary works”.
Odua said her interest was to
provide the indigents and peasants with small and medium scale grants to
start-up entrepreneurship as seed capital and to enable them run their
businesses and agricultural programmes with improved seedlings and agricultural
implements so that the farmers among them would get involved in less stressful
agricultural activities.
“As I was supported and helped
along life’s tortuous journey, I desire to support and help in my own little
way. It may not be much, or enough to go round, but it is my little way of
giving back to the society, to the community that gave me so much. It is this
motivation that has led me to carry out numerous community service projects in
the past in my community. While it is not morally wrong to give out fish (food)
to the hungry, I strongly believe it is better, more rewarding, and sustainable
to teach people how to fish or farm,” she said.
Authorities of the foundation
disclosed that they had so far given out a total of N50 million for the
empowerment of widows, the aged and the indigent persons in Anambra North
Senatorial zone of Anambra State. Out of this amount which is not part of the
amount budgeted by the foundation for the opening of skill acquisition centers
in the 52 communities in the Anambra North Senatorial district and for the
training of at least 2,000 youths from the district annually, N10 million has
been set aside for this year’s educational endowment for the less privileged
ones in the area, while another N10 million is for small and medium scale
grants for business start-ups.
The Chairman of the Foundation,
Rev. Fr. Martin Onukwuba, added that another N10 million has been mapped out by
the foundation for educational endowment/scholarship awards, just as N10
million has equally been set aside for the sponsorship of aspiring priests,
both for Catholics, Anglicans and Pentecostals in the seminaries on
annual basis. Onukwuba contended that although about 1,490 widows had already
been given some cash empowerment each in the recent time, the foundation has
equally earmarked N6 million each for micro-credit and for farmers in the zone,
adding that the foundation would soon discuss with youths organization in the
zone to find out the areas they need assistance.
Apart from this, Odua moved in to
assist the Diocese on the Niger, Anglican Communion its projects when it had
its Synod last month. She donated a total of N85 million to the Communion.
Broken down, N15m is to be used for a duplex for the proposed Camp of Light
Retreat Village envisioned by the Bishop of the diocese; N20m for Women
empowerment; N25M for Youth empowerment; N20M for farmers and N5M to support
the synod in the diocese. The Bishop on the Niger, Rt. Rev. Owen Nwokolo,
called on Christians to preach and live out the teachings of the gospel in
their lives.
With these gestures, Odua has been
hailed by all and sundry who believe she has the good and welfare of her people
at heart. To illustrate that different groups-town union leaders, Omambala
Progressives Forum, Peoples Democratic Party leaders, among others, are already
rooting for her to go to the Senate. Two weeks ago women numbering over 4,000
from the various local governments of the Senatorial district said they are
adopting Oduah as their preferred choice for the senatorial election in the
zone. The women who spoke through their Anambra East and Ogbaru Local
Governments Coordinators of Stella Oduah Campaign Organization, Mrs. Uju Ezuike
and Mrs. Njideka Ezeigwe respectively, insisted that the former Aviation
Minister should contest based on her achievements as a minister and the present
foundation she established for the welfare of the indigents. Having bought the
form for the Senatorial election, Odua has now positioned herself as a top
contender for the Anambra North Senatorial District seat.
Written by Chukwujwkwu Ilozue of The Daily Independent Newspapers
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