Yuletide: Ebonyi commissioner celebrates with less privileged, others

The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Project Monitoring and Evaluation, Chief Ukie Ezeali, who is fond of putting smiles on the faces of the less privileged and who has always advocated for people to cultivate the habit of giving unconditionally, has celebrated Christmas and New Year with residents of Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

In the spirit of Christmas and New Year Celebrations, the Commissioner distributed over three million naira, including 400 bags of rice, 100 wrappers and other items to different groups in Afikpo, including the less privileged, elders of Itim, elders of Ehugbo, widows, disabled, hospital patients, traders, among others.

The commissioner also fixed solar light in different parts of his community in Mgbom, Afikpo North LGA; in order to prevent the type of crimes usually committed under the cover of darkness, thereby enabling a crime free yuletide in the community, with the assurance of adding more solar light to extend to other neighbouring communities.

Also, Ezeali celebrated the New Year with All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Itim Ward by sharing gift items (from house to house) to over 50 party faithful.

Ezeali also shared N100, 000 to Itim elders, including the Horii, Onikara, Ekpuke Essa and Ekpuke Eto, a gesture he replicated with the Ehugbo traditional council of elders, with youths also receiving cash from the Commissioner to celebrate the Christmas and New Year in their own way.

Earlier before the onset of the Yuletide, Ezeali had distributed N10,000 each to more than 50 people of Afikpo extraction, while others received either N15,000, N20,000 or N50,000, depending on the size of their families, even as more than 100 people were randomly gifted N2,000 each, either at home, market or on the street.

Also, being of the Ibe Ezeke matrilineal family, Ezeali distributed bags of rice and cash gifts to executive members of Ibe Ezeke, who visited him on Christmas day (as they usually do every yuletide), while residents, who thronged the P. Noble Hotel and Suites on December 25, received free drinks of different brands.

On social media, many Nigerians are still showering praises on Ezeali as more than 100 Facebook users benefited airtime of different denominations and networks from the humanitarian, including MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9Mobile.

Even members of his staff were not left out in the Christmas largesse as Ezeali randomly distributed bags of rice to them, with a sick staff receiving N25, 000 to help in offsetting her hospital bills.

Meanwhile, in support of her husband’s humanitarian gesture, his wife equally distributed over 100 wrappers to widows of Afikpo extraction, irrespective of their communities.

Though almost all the beneficiaries of Ezeali’s Christmas largesse had one form of prayer or the other to say to God on behalf of the humanitarian, the most touching was that of a sick widow, Mrs Ugonma Oko, who prayed for God to continue blessing the commissioner; in order to continue remembering the less privileged, “unlike other wealthy men who neglect the poor and choose to celebrate with only members of their families”.

Speaking with this reporter, Ezeali said that he was just following the examples of Governor David Nweze Umahi in touching lives positively by reaching out to as many families as possible this yuletide, even as he implored other well-to-do Afikpo indigenes to tap into the blessings of God, which comes from giving for the uplift of the less privileged.

He said: “I don’t think I am doing anything extraordinary as I am just following the footsteps of my boss, His Excellency Chief Engr. David Nweze Umahi, FNSE, FNATE, who has the milk of kindness running in his veins and who can never eat, drink or sleep until the less privileged are satisfied. This yuletide, I can proudly say that more than 1,000 people were touched or reached in one way or the other, either with my gift of money, cash, wrappers or what have you.

“There is something many people don’t know about giving: the blessings from God, which comes from giving to the less privileged, are immeasurable.  When I look at the smiles from the faces of people I reached out to and the prayers they say to God on my behalf, I feel immense joy, and more indebted to them because God blesses me through the prayers of those I come in contact with. Of course, my wife has been supportive as she equally gifted wrappers to widows, in addition to the money I provided.

“I have in mind to do more for people as the days go by, including the payment of hospital bills for the sick, because it is their prayers and blessings that have been seeing me and my family through in whatever we do, be it business or politics. I will also implore other wealthy men to cultivate the habit of uplifting the less privileged anyway they can, because God will also bless them when they remember the poor. Above all, I give thanks to God and Governor Umahi for making it possible to celebrate this year’s yuletide in peace and harmony and I know that 2021 will be better for all of us. Those we couldn’t reach should be patient as many more goodies are on the way, thanks to Governor Umahi.”

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