As part of efforts to reduce poverty and make life easier for people in Iganna community and environs, the Iganna Heritage Foundation, a nongovernmental organisation founded by the Sabiganna of Iganna kingdom, Oba Saliu Oyemonla Azeez, to among other things, support the rehabilitation and financial empowerment of widows, the handicapped, orphans, destitute and the elderly and equip the younger generation with skills was unveiled on Friday.
The unveiling took place in Iganna amidst pomp and pageantry as the first empowerment project of the foundation took place with the distribution of 510 smart charcoal stoves to widows in collaboration with Envirofit international Nigeria Limited, Ikeja Lagos.
The distribution to the widows according to Oba Azeez, is just a tip off the iceberg as the 510 beneficiaries were just the first batch of widows in Iganna Kingdom and there will be other beneficiaries.
Speaking during the distribution, the Sabiganna stated that the event which was the first of its kind in the history of the ancient Iganna Kingdom is just to signal the unveiling of his foundation in commemoration of his 10 years anniversary on the throne of his fathers, adding that the foundation is being positioned to turn the lives of people in his community around for the better.
“This is a new dawn in our community, I have been working to ensure there is socio-economic development for the people of my kingdom and this NGO is not just an association for fun, it is meant to empower my people in every way and bring development to the community in a bigger phase. On Sunday, May 5, I clocked 10 years on the throne and my experience in a decade I have spent on the throne revealed that poverty is the bane to effective human management.
“I resolved to fight it headlong and the many sleepless nights of finding a way out gave birth to the foundation. It is being unveiled today officially to herald the celebration of my 10 years anniversary on the throne but it is not going to end here. The main anniversary celebration is coming up in October and it is going to be a week-long which will also witness the formal inauguration of my foundation.
“We unveiled it today but it will still be launched during the anniversary week after which you will see the foundation moving stones to open up the community and empower the people,’ Oba Azeez stated.
He explained further that the 510 women that were beneficiaries of the smart charcoal stoves will still be part of other empowerment programmes aimed at giving financial independence to indigent women, youths and widows domiciled in the town to ensure they can stand their own among their peers.
The anniversary celebration he stated will feature activities like a book launch, the official inauguration of the foundation, sporting competition, cultural exhibitions, chronicles of his first decade on the throne, lectures and documentary on the history of Iganna town among others.
He explained further that the foundation will provide educational assistance and scholarship to indigent students, provide mentorship programmes to the younger generation for a sustainable future, provide skill acquisition and economic empowerment opportunities for unemployed youths and women, encourage teaching of sound moral values and help the younger generation to be self supporting members of the society.
He however called on well meaning individuals, philanthropists and corporate organisation as well as prominent indigenes of Iganna kingdom and their friends to partner the foundation to help the people of Iganna and develop the town.
The women that benefitted from the distribution cut across diverse age groups and status but the underlying criteria for their selection according to the foundation, is the need.
“We just didn’t distribute for the sake of being seen, we gave to indigent women especially those in the hamlets and farmsteads as they are the ones that need this most,” Oba Azeez stated.
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