From Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
It was celebration galore in Ekirin Adde community of ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State as the Ona Ara Humanitarian Foundation put smiles on the faces of some widows and underprivileged who went home with various food items and cash.
The group provided food items such as bags of rice, garri, and cash to 1,000 widows and underprivileged and also provided free medical outreach to over 5000 people in the community.
The foundation who said the free medical outreach was conducted in memory of Madam Adeola Rotimi stressing that over 20 medical teams were brought to the community that treated people on minor and major illnesses and also provided drugs and free reading glasses to hundreds of people.
Speaking with our correspondent, one of the beneficiaries of the free medical outreach an 84 years old Alice Mejabi and one Grace Olobaniyi who said she has been sick for a long time without help were both full of praises to the philantropist for coming to their aids and pray that God will continue to increase him.
Speaking on the occasion, the founder of the foundation, Olugbenga Collins Rotimi, said the organization was formed to help students, widows, and to promote social justice and equity in the society
He said he was personally moved to help his community members through the organization, having seen the hardships and sufferings some people are passing through stressing that he hates seeing people around him suffering.
He said to show gratitude to God for his blessings upon his life , he has decided to set up Ona Ara humanitarian foundation to reach out to the under privileged in the society and to provide social amenities to people in his community and beyond.
He disclosed that the foundation has built a gigantic school laboratory with modern equipment at the Baptist High school, Ekirin Adde, built water boreholes for the community, provided scholarship for hundreds of students and also sponsored annual football competitions among various Schools in the area where cash gifts and trophies are given.
He expressed the foundation’s willingness to spread its philantrophic gestures to other local government areas in the western senatorial districts in the state.
In his goodwill message, the traditional ruler of the community and the Olu of Ekirin Adde, Oba Anthony Bamigbaye Idowu thanked Olugbenga Collins Rotimi for providing succours to members of the community especially the indigent, widows and underprivileged through the organization.
He said his annual football competition has really helped to enhance social interaction among the youths and reduce social vices, and pray to God to continue to lift him higher.
The traditional ruler also called on eminent members of the community to emulate the good gestures of Olugbenga Collins Rotimi and urged them to empower the youths and women in the community so as to increase the socio economic activities of the area.