In continuation of its benevolence in the spirit of yuletide season, Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF) has donated scores of bags of rice, beans, tubers of yams, cartons of indomie and many toiletries to inmates of the Kuje Correctional Centre located in Abuja.
Specically, the foundation gifted 50 bags of 50kg rice, five bags of 100kg beans, five bags of 10 kg garri and 50 cartons of noodles.
The SEOF also donated 10 jerrycans of vegetable oil, 20 bundles of tissue papers, 100 tubers of yam, 10 cartons of tomatoes and five bags of salt.
Making the donation over the weekend, Vice President of the Foundation, Barr. Adaora Offor, said the donations meant to extend special hand of fellowship with the inmates were done to spread Christmas love and care
She said, “We are here to share love and remember our brothers and sisters who are incarcerated for various reasons in accordance with the laws of the land.
“Today’s event is made possible by the vision and thoughts of my husband who has always maintained that all men and women created by God need a touch of hope and love irrespective of their present circumstances.
“These donations are just modest and may not represent all the needs of the inmates. However, it is our collective sense of humanity to show empathy to all people of God whose circumstances may appear helpless.
“There is always hope in God and we encourage all inmates to see their present circumstance as a call for attitudinal change, behaviour modification, skill acquisition period and incubation period to become better citizens to our nation and humanity.
“We invite all other NGOs and well-meaning Nigerians to also remember these ones when love is shared this season.”
While commending the Deputy Comptroller General and her officers, she observed that the custody and management of deviants remained very challenging vocation
“Take joy in the fact that you are doing a job for God as we encourage relevant Authorities to give very high premium to the management of our Correctional Centres.
“We are encouraged by our shared relationship and values and pray that the coming year will be better for all of us,” she said.
Also speaking, the Chief of Staff to the President of SEOF, AIG Chris Ezike (rtd.) said the gesture was based on the foundation’s core value which centres around health, human services, educational development and social interventions.
Ezike noted that the foundation had thousands of widows on its programme which has by no little means empowered and alleviated their problems.
“SEOF as a non-governmental, non-profit organisation operates on a tripod as our core values.
“We are engaged in activities revolving around health and human services, education and educational development and empowerment and social interventions.
“These activities are aimed at mitigating the challenges of poverty and creating life improving opportunities for the marginalised and vulnerable groups in our society,” he said.
Recieving the donations, the Deputy Comptroller General of Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS) in-charge of Welfare, DCG Marylaurine Emmanuel thanked the SEOF for their concern about the welfare of the inmates.
“We are delighted to have you here today in our midst because there are alot of other people out there who you could have chosen to show love in the spirit of the season.
“But it takes God for people to remember that there are people like us and our inmates that still exist.
“We say a big thank you for remembering us and thinking of us because if you weren’t thinking of us, of course you will not even remember that we exist.
“My Comptroller General has instructed me to convey his message of appreciation to you and to tell you that God will replenish your pockets and cause every resources spent to return back to you in hundred folds.
“Today is a great day and we are very happy and overwhelmed by joy. Our inmates have been informed that there are people who have remembered them this season and I can tell you for a fact that their joy knows no bound,” she said.
She appealed to the foundation to intervene in other areas of concern, adding that they were hopeful that the SEOF would continue to assist the NCS.
SEOF had extended similar gesture when its top officials visited Defence Officers Wives Association and Police Officers Wives Association recently with donations worth millions of naira.
