Soludo lauds Emeka Offor over support for widows in Anambra

Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has praised the benevolence of popular oil magnate and businessman Chief Emeka Offor in uplifting widows and the less privileged in the society through his pet project, Sir Emeka Offor Foundation.

Soludo made the commendation yesterday in Oraifite, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of the state, when the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation distributed over 6,000 bags of 50kg rice to 3,000 widows in the community.

Represented by the Hon. Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Esther Onyekesi, the governor said that the level of attention and care the philanthropist extends to widows and the less fortunate in the society is praiseworthy.

He stated the gesture is in line with Anambra government’s initiative geared towards lifting the citizens out of poverty, and ensuring that no one is left behind irrespective of his social status.

While recalling how Chief Offor, through his Foundation, had distributed millions of textbooks to tertiary institutions in Anambra and beyond, Soludo noted that Sir Emeka Offor’s benevolence knows no boundaries, and called on other privileged members of the society to emulate his example.

President of the Foundation, Sir Emeka Offor, in his own speech, noted that he has been distributing rice to widows for the past thirty years and that the aim is to support the downtrodden, alleviate their sufferings and improve their wellbeing. He assured that he would continue to ensure that widows around him are treated in such a way as to think less that they have lost their breadwinners.

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President General of Orifite Town Union, Hon. (Sir) Vin Dike, while speaking at the event, expressed gratitude for what the illustrious son of the town, Sir Emeka Offor, has been doing for the people using his Foundation.

He revealed that Emeka Offor was the person that constructed the first tarred road in the community, among many other benevolent gestures, and added that come December, 2026, the community will organise special ceremony to appreciate him in a unique way for his numerous contributions.

The President of Sir Emeka Offor Widows Cooperative Society, Mrs Ogechi Izuka, while also appreciating Sir Emeka Offor for his good deeds towards widows, enumerated many things widows in the community benefitted from Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, including food materials, clothing and housing facilities. She assured that widows will also remember Sir Offor in their prayers.

A chieftain of Abba community, Chief Cosmos Agagu, who also graced the occasion, hailed Sir Emeka Offor for single-handedly caring for all the widows in Orifite community and beyond over the years.

He said that what Emeka Offor is doing through his Foundation has significantly improved the wellbeing of the downtrodden in the society.

Earlier in his opening remarks, Chairman of Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, Chief Tony Obi, expressed appreciation to the President of the Foundation, Chief (Sir) Emeka Offor, for coming up with the initiative, which he said, has helped many overcome hunger.

He said that the rice distribution comes four times every year, and that the intention is to reduce poverty and hunger among the women who have lost their breadwinners and who cannot properly take care of their families.

According to him, besides rice distribution to widows, the Foundation equally attends to other humanitarian programmes like building houses for widows and the less privileged, providing free medicare and clothing for widows, as well as providing books and educational materials for schools.

Obi also recalled that during Offor’s latest birthday celebration, the Foundation distributed forty thousand (40,000) bags of 50kg rice to widows across Anambra State.

While the widows who benefitted from the largesse, Obi assured Sir Emeka Offor of prayers and good wishes from all the beneficiaries.