By Eze Victor, Abakaliki
In the spirit of the yuletide, an Ebonyi-born business mogul and oil magnate, Mr. Monday Elom, has distributed gifts to the war victims, including 45 widows whose husbands were consumed by communal war and over one hundred elders, orphans and less privileged people in the Azuofia Edda community in Abakaliki LGA of Ebonyi State.
Mr Elom, the Chief Executive Director of Molompet Nigeria Ltd, yesterday distributed the gift items, including two huge cows, over one hundred 25-kg bags of rice, cartons of seasoning, salt, assorted drinks and cash gifts to the war victims at St Mary’s Primary School Azuofia Edda.
Addressing newsmen shortly after the disbursement, the benefactor, Mr Elom said that he distributed the Christmas gifts as a way to cushion the effects of hardship faced by Azuofia Edda people who had suffered due to the alleged government absence since after the end of the communal crisis with their sister Cross River community in the area that occurred in 2017.
The philanthropist, who said that the event had been an annual programme meant to touch the lives of the downtrodden in the once war-ravaged area, lamented that his people were suffering. Hence, he donated the items to ameliorate their plights.
While commending the Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, for his people’s oriented government, Elom appealed to the stakeholders, including federal lawmakers representing the zone, to intervene in the provision of social amenities to the people of Edda Community.
Bags of rice
“This is a festival period, and I want to rejoice with my people, give them the little I have. We are all aware that there was a war that claimed the lives of some people, and people are suffering here because of the harsh effects of the war.
“And each time I wake up, I see myself having a very big burden, and that’s why today I said, let’s go to my community to celebrate and share the little I have with my people. We have to come and share the little I have with the orphans, widows, aged people and other less privileged ones. I gave them food, condiments, two cows and cash.
“I am also calling the stakeholders, especially our political leaders, the well-meaning individuals and organizations, to come and do more in assisting this war-ravaged community because the people are dying of starvation and lack of essential social amenities.