About 100 widows were, on Tuesday, empowered with cash gifts and food items in Abeokuta, Ogun State by Oko Opo Foundation.
The beneficiary widows, which were drawn from 18 communities across the state, benefited from health awareness and sensitisation talk from on age-related health conditions and corresponding coping mechanisms.
One of the speakers at the event and veteran broadcast journalist, Chief Eddy Aina, urged the widows to pay more attention to their diet and health, advising that some of them should consume more vegetables, fruits, unripe plantain, fish or crayfish while reducing the intake of beef, salt, rice, gari, amala, yam and other sugary products because of their high sugar contents.
While sharing her experience with other widows, octogenarian mother of the organiser and Iya Adinni of Ginti Community Central Mosque, Ikorodu, Alhaja Sidikat Adeyemo, advised them to be closer to God and engage in productive and people-oriented activities that help to fight off boredom and despair.
Speaking earlier at the event, the promoter of the foundation, Dr Babatunde Adeyemo, noted that the initiative, a “covenant” between him and God, has so far gulped N100 million since it was conceived about 10 years ago.
He also disclosed that his real estate firm, Pelican Valley, has donated two acres of land to provide housing for vulnerable widows.
“I want to bring those integrity and goodwill to help the widows and I’m doing this to live by example. I have committed over N150 million of hard-earned funds to this project. This building called The Podium where the programme is being unveiled was purposely built for the foundation. It was a long-term project I conceptualised in the last 10 years and I have been systematically working to achieve it.
“This is not a short-time affair. In the long-term projection, I have donated about two acres of land that we are going to use to build houses and one-bedroom short-let apartments for the most vulnerable widows who don’t have roofs over their heads among other plans we have for the widows.
“It is not all about politicking, I’m not interested in politicking and I don’t want to do anything like politics, I just want to do something that directly touches the life of people positively. That is the rationale behind the setting up of Oko Opo Foundation,” Adeyemo said.
He also called for support from well-meaning Nigerians to add value to the activities of the foundation, adding, however, that “I don’t want what we are doing to be an instrument of politicking. I’m not interested in politics.”
Others at the event include secretary of the foundation, Mr Ibrahim Adeyemo; director, Mrs Titilayo Adeyemo and foundation ambassador, Mr Olukayode Olasehinde.
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