Day Imo First Lady donated building to indigent widows during August Meeting

From: Emma Mgbeahurike, Owerri

This year’s Annual August Meeting in Imp State was one with a difference. It came with surprise gift from the wife of the State Governor.

Yearly, Igbo women congregate in their town halls across the five states that made up of South-East to take the stock of the year and proposed new projects to take care of women in the states.

So when this year’s annual ritual, popularly known as August Meeting, it came with much fanfares and ceremonies.

  The wife of the Imo State Governor and founder of the She Needs a Root Project’ (SNARP), Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha use the occasion to re-emphasized  her commitment  to  tackle  the plight of indigent widows in the state through  her pet project.

Mrs. Okorocha who gave the reassurance told newsmen on her planned activities  slated for the 2014 ‘August Meeting’  and said that a total of  131 poverty ridden widows  had so far benefited from the pet project  with two bedroom bungalows  well furnished at a total cost of N391 million .

As  part of the strategies to ensure that the project is not  hijacked by politicians  to launder their  image, the wife of the  governor explained that an independent  investigating  team had been put in place to  navigate the  27 LGAs of the state and fish  out those actually  in need of the shelter and who as a matter of fact must be indigent  widows.

“There is no modicum of favouritism in the implementation of SNAPRS, because no government functionary is involved in it and it is clearly on merit”, she stated.
She assured that funds for the execution of the project are
entirely from complemented voluntary donations from interested individuals. The First lady expressed optimism that the largesse would be sustained after her tenure as the Imo First Lady.

 “My office does not receive allocation from the state government and I channel the little I have to solve the problems of the poor and the down -trodden in the society”, she added.
While calling for continued support and cooperation from all in the execution of government policies and programmes, Mrs. Okorocha vowed to remain resolute and undaunted in her humanitarian activities.

It would be recalled that during the official inauguration of ‘Nneoma women’, her pet project, which is designed to reach out to the rural women of the state, said that the philosophy behind her pet project, ‘She Needs a Roof Project’ (SNARP) was to ensure total eradication of shanties in the state.

Mrs. Okorocha stated this at the inauguration ceremony of the first phase of the well-furnished ultra-modern bungalow she built for three widows: Mrs. Udochukwu Franca, Mrs. Charity Nwosu and Mrs. Regina Okwara of Umuoma Egwedu Njaba Local Government Area, Abazu Ogwa in Mbaitoli Local Government Area and Ikeduru Local Government Area respectively.

She expressed her happiness over the construction of the buildings and thanked God for using her as an instrument for transforming the lives of the indigent widows who now have shelters over their heads.

The governor’s wife used the occasion to call on people to remain steadfast in the Lord; even as she assured them that the Lord who answered the prayers of the beneficiaries of SNARP would surely not forget them in their misery.

In their respective addresses, the Sole Administrators of Njaba Local Government Area, Hon. Uche Rajis, Mr. Emma Iheanakwe of Mbaitoli Local Government Area, and their Ikeduru Local Government Area counterpart, poured encomiums on the wife of the governor, saying it is a dream come true and not some internet projects which some past administrations were noted for.

The sole Administrators prayed God to sustain this goodwill of Mrs. Okorocha in the total transformation of the state. They pledged their continuous support and loyalty to the rescue mission of Governor Okorocha.

The people of Umuoma Egwedu in Njaba, Abazu Ogwa in Mbaitoli and Iho in Ikeduru LGA could not hide their happiness in thanking the wife of the governor as some beneficiaries of the SNARP emerged from their area. They promised their support and solidarity to the rescue mission of the governor.

For the beneficiaries, Mrs. Udochukwu Franca, Mrs. Charity Nwosu and Mrs. Regina Okwara, it was a miracle done in their life hence they were full of praises and prayers for the wife of the governor. The event which attracted people from different walks of life featured the unveiling of the plague of the buildings, cutting of tape for the inauguration of the houses and freewill donation in support of the SNARP project in which the initiator vowed that about 270 of such buildings would be completed in the state before the end of the year.

“We, Women of Divine Destiny are like intercessors after the heart of Esther, who interceded for her people and they were freed from slavery; Moses who interceded for the Israelites and God’s punishment for them was averted. In the same vein, let us intercede for the well being of our families, for our Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha to remain focused and be able to accomplish all the laudable projects he is doing in the State and for peace to reign in our State so that every Imolites will be a shining star in their different field of endeavours,” the First Lady admonished.

“Prayer as we believe is the key to progress and achievement. It is your prayer that is working miracle in this administration. Within eight months of stay in office, every corner of the State is echoing the goodness of the Lord as a result of the developmental structures springing up here and there under the supervision of my humble husband, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, the Governor of Imo State,” she said.