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Over 100 widows in Ogun State, on Tuesday received food and cash empowerment to cushion the impact of the economic hardships facing the country.
The widows selected across 18 communities also enjoyed health awareness and sensitization talk from experts at the maiden edition of the Oko Opo Foundation held at Pelican Valley Estate Laderin.
During the launch, Chief Eddy Aina, a seasoned broadcast journalist, encouraged the widows to monitor their age, diet, and health in order to extend their lives and advised them to consume more fruits, vegetables, and reduce intake of sugary products due to their high sugar content.
Aina bemoaned the harsh circumstances faced by certain widows, particularly those residing in the South-East geopolitical region of Nigeria, urging wealthy Nigerians and governments to collaborate, imitate the footsteps of Oko Opo Foundation and its Chief Promoter, Ambassador (Dr.) Babatunde Adeyemo.
In the same vein, Mr. Lekan Jaji, publisher and author also spoke on “Acceptability,” which is a means of enabling widows to acknowledge that their beloved husbands have passed away and would not be coming back in person.
He pointed out that entering this period of tolerance would allow the widow to move on from her situation and create a new path rather than wallowing in delusion, which would only serve to aggravate her situation and weaken her resolve.
Speaking on the event, Dr. Babatunde Adeyemo, expressed his continued admiration for the enormous success the Oko Opo Foundation’s formal launch, citing that the sight of the ecstatic widows as well as the drive to change perceptions and bring about positive change in this nation as the driving forces behind the foundation’s founding.
The chief executive officer of Pelican Valley Nigeria Limited, Pelican’s Brief Estate, Pelican Ecostay Apartments, and Pelican’s Greenish Acre Farm Estate, all located in the state, disclosed that since the project’s conception almost ten years ago, nearly N150 million have been spent preparing for it including the provision of two acres of land to support the future housing needs of the most vulnerable widows among them.
” I want to bring those integrity and goodwill to help the widows and I’m doing this to live by example. I have committed over N150million of hard earned funds into this project. This building that is called The Podium where the programme is being formally unveiled was purposely built for the foundation. We spent almost N150million to put this place together. It was long term project, I conceptualised this project in the last 10 years and I have been systematically working to achieve it.
“ We are calling on every wealthy Nigerians, excluding the politicians, to add value to what we are doing because I don’t want what we are doing to be an instrument of politicking. I’m not interested in politics. I want to try as much as possible to make a mark with this Foundation and I’m ready to donate major part of my resources towards alleviating the suffering of the widows.
The event was preceded by a 45 – minute long Live Executive Media chat with executive members of the foundation – Dr. Babatunde Adeyemo, Mr Adeyemo Ibrahim; Secretary of the foundation and Mrs Titilayo Babs Adeyemo, Director and Mr Olukayode Olasehinde, the Brand Ambassador of Oko Opo Foundation.
The media chat was anchored by three of Chief Eddy Aina, Public Relations expert; Mr Tope Adaramola and Ernest Nwokolo of The Nation newspaper.
An octogenarian widow, and the mother of the chief promoter of Oko Opo Foundation, Iya Adinni of Ginti Community Central Mosque Ikorodu, Alhaja Sidikat Adeyemo, also shared her useful experience to encourage her colleagues, advising them to be closer to God and fight off lack, boredom and despair by engaging in productive ventures and being people–oriented.
