The National President of the Oodua People’s Congress (Reformed), a breakaway faction of the Frederick Fasheun-led OPC, Comrade Dare Adesope, has urged President Bola Tinubu not to allow the military coup that ousted a democratic government in the neighbouring Niger Republic to distract his government from focusing on how to ameliorate the pain and suffering most Nigerians are currently going through at home.
Focusing attention on the Niger Republic matter, he said, is unnecessary for now.
Adesope gave this advice on Tuesday in Lagos at a gathering where he doled out some money to empower some indigent members of the OPC Reformed from across the Southwest Region and other Yoruba-speaking communities in the country.
No fewer than 40 of them were beneficiaries of the financial assistance, which Adesope said was in commemoration of his 55th birthday anniversary.
According to him, it is no longer news that most Nigerians are really going through difficult times by finding it extremely difficult to feed themselves, much less have access to good cloth and shelter, which are basic needs, particularly since the removal of fuel subsidy which has caused prices of goods and services to go up each day.
How to ensure the situation will be reversed and the poor will also breathe should be the focus of the Federal and other tiers of government, not the issue of the Niger Republic.
The OPC Reformed boss explained that President Tinubu should also ensure that his administration’s plans to cushion the effect of this harsh economic climate cover every segment of Nigeria’s populace and not only government workers.
According to him, every Nigerian sees him as their president, and so his plans must also cover the unemployed, petty traders, and artisans, who are most affected by the economic downturn, and not only government workers and those in organised private sectors.
“I’m not talking about the N8,000 government palliative to the poorest homes because the amount cannot feed a family in the face of the current economic reality, but about how many more Nigerians can be economically empowered so as to substantially reduce the high level of poverty in the country,” he noted.
Adesope, however, declared that was why he felt the need to use his personal resources, which would have gone for a birthday party, to assist some indigent members of the OPC Reformed, especially married women, with a token amount to invest in their businesses and contribute to their family finances.
He said he is optimistic that if the money, no matter how small, is well utilised and not diverted on Aso Ebi or other frivolities, it would make a huge difference in the financial status of beneficiaries within the shortest possible time.
Pointing out that the act of giving is a sacrifice and not until one has excess, Adesope urged many other Nigerians who have the spirit of giving to assist the indigents around them in any way they can, adding that through such gestures, Nigeria will be a better place for all.
He said he had resolved to make the gesture a yearly affair, particularly among members of the group until the number of indigent members is reduced to the barest minimum.
Some of the beneficiaries expressed profound gratitude to Adesope in an interview, saying they would certainly use the money for its intended purpose.
For example, Mrs Sakirat Idi-Olowo, a petty trader from Ogun State, and Mr Olumide Oladipupo, who is visually impaired and based in Lagos, as well as Tosan Eyetan, an Itsekiri-Delta State indigene and farmer based in Lagos, told the Nigerian Tribune that the money came as a surprise to them because they had no prior knowledge of it when they were called for the meeting.
Oladipupo, who said he lost his two eyes to armed robbers who invaded his house and attacked him about 11 years ago and has since been jobless, said he would look for a business he could do with the money.
He said he doesn’t like begging, and now he is optimistic about starting an independent life and also contributing to the economy.
In his remark, the vice president of the group, Mr Afolabi Omotosho, commended Adesope for the gesture, advising beneficiaries not to divert the money for unintended purposes.
He said some other members who are in better financial positions than others, including himself, would take a cue from Adesope and support the gesture of taking many indigent members of the group out of poverty.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
VIDEO: Alema of Warri buys customised 2023 Maybach for wife, Natasha
Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, the Alema of Warri Kingdom, in Delta, has bought a new vehicle worth millions of…
Call on God to kill me if … — Pastor Adeboye
Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, has said to call on God to kill him if…
Military rejects requests to topple Tinubu’s Government — DHQ
The Armed Forces of Nigeria, AFN, has rejected requests by Coup instigators to topple the democratically elected Government of…
Petrol pump price may jump to N750/litre — IPMAN
The association’s national spokesperson, Mr. Chinedu Ukadike gave the hint while speaking to…
#BBNaijaAllstars: Food crisis looms as housemates lose weekly wager
Big Brother Naija All stars Housemates have lost the first Wager task, which means for the next week, there will be…
Heavyweight bout: Anthony Joshua knocks out Robert Helenius in seventh round
Robert Helenius was defeated by Anthony Joshua at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday after..
and then