*Beneficiaries lament deprivation of farmlands, lack of social amenities
In the spirit of the yuletide, an Ebonyi-born business mogul and oil magnate, Mr Monday Elom, has distributed gifts to the war victims, including 45 widows whose husbands were consumed by communal war and over one hundred elders, orphans and less privileged people in the Azuofia Edda community in Abakaliki LGA of Ebonyi State.
Mr Elom, the Chief Executive Director of Molompet Nigeria Ltd, yesterday distributed the gift items, including two huge cows, over one hundred 25-kg bags of rice, cartons of Maggi seasoning, salt, assorted drinks and cash gifts to the war victims at St Mary's primary school Azuofia Edda.
Addressing newsmen shortly after the disbursement, the benefactor, Mr Elom said that he distributed the Christmas gifts as a way to cushion the effects of hardship faced by Azuofia Edda people who had suffered due to the alleged government absence since after the end of the communal crisis with their sister Cross River community in the area that occurred in 2017.
The Philanthropist, who said that the event had been an annual programme meant to touch the lives of the downtrodden in the once war-ravaged area, lamented that his people were suffering. Hence, he donated the items to ameliorate their plights.
While commending the Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, for his people's oriented government, Elom appealed to the stakeholders, including federal lawmakers representing the zone, to intervene in the provision of social amenities to the people of Edda Community.
"This is a festival period, and I want to rejoice with my people, give them the little I have. We are all aware that there was a war that claimed the lives of some people, and people are suffering here because of the harsh effects of the war.
"And each time I wake up, I see myself having a very big burden, and that's why today I said, let's go to my community to celebrate and share the little I have with my people. We have to come and share the little I have with the orphans, widows, aged people and other less privileged ones. I gave them food, condiments, two cows and cash.
"I am also calling the stakeholders, especially our political leaders, the well-meaning individuals and organizations, to come and do more in assisting this war-ravaged community because the people are dying of starvation and lack of essential social amenities.
"By the special grace of God, in unity, we can do more because I'm just a businessman hustling to survive because I have never held any political position. I'm just a petty trader, and I know we have some politicians who have big connections available.
"I'm only calling them to come and assist because most of our boreholes are not functioning, and I know with their positions as government officials, they can do better. They should not close their eyes and allow their people to die of starvation, scarcity of potable water, and bad roads.
"Some of their farmlands have been taken away by the nearby neighbouring community during the war. They don't even have where to farm.
"I'm calling the well-meaning privileged individuals, business moguls and politicians to join forces with us to help our people. There's no gain in achieving all while your people are dying of starvation. I hope this message will get to our political leaders and pray that the Almighty God will touch their hearts because these women are suffering.
"If you look at their faces, you know that they are suffering because 80 per cent of their farmlands are taken away, and some are being placed an embargo. For the sake of peace and justice, to avoid any other crisis, all of them were deprived of their farmlands, and some were homeless; about 500 houses were burnt down during the war, which resulted in many being displaced from this community.
"I appeal to His Excellency the governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Francis Nwifuru, the Senator representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District, Senator Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi and the member representing Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency, Chief Emmanuel Uguru and our own, the APC National Treasurer, Mr Matthew Uguru who know our predicament to come to assist these war victims.
"By next year, I pray it will be greater and it will be a thunderous harvest. We are going to celebrate them more as God continues to lead us because I will not keep watching my people dying.
"Imagine, in the nine communities, only one borehole is working. If you look around, you see moribund structures in our primary schools, the structures of the health centres are even the worst. Our children are schooling outside this community because some of our schools were burnt down during the war, and nobody attempted rebuilding them, no structure and no teacher in any school here. We know that education is the key, but these people have no environment for studies. I appreciate our brother, who is the APC National Treasurer, for his contributions so far, but he has to do more, especially in the area of employment because we have over 150 graduates from different fields of studies in this community without jobs," Elom said.
The chairman of the occasion, Ogbuefi Emmanuel Nwokpoku, Executive Director of Immaco Ltd described the donor as a man who has the interest of his people at heart and commended him for the gesture.
On his part, Chukwuma Mbam, the Executive Director of Mbamson Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited, who donate some cartons of Maggi and street lights in the spirit of solidarity for the event, thanked the Chief host, Mr Elom, for remembering the downtrodden and prayed for more blessings upon him.
Earlier, the All Progressives Congress, APC National Treasurer, Mr Mathew Uguru represented in the event by the Coordinator of Enyi-Edda Development Center, Reuben Edeh thanked Mr Elom for bringing succour to the people and called on other illustrious sons of Edda to toe the path for the overall development of the area, noting that the government in power has begun a movement to demarcate the disputed land and made other interventions to cushion the effects of the war in the community.
"I am here in the capacity of the National Treasurer of the APC, Mr Matthew Uguru. I came to witness the Christmas party organized by one of the illustrious sons of the Azuofia Edda community, Mr Monday Elom, for the people of Azuofia Edda. I have come and saw that he is well prepared to celebrate his people, and his people are very happy with the gesture.
"That's evidenced in the dancing, the jubilations and the pleasant comments some of the beneficiaries are making to portray how happy they are. It's a very good one and I commend the organizer, while enjoining other people of the community to toe his step.
"This particular side of the community has since 2017 suffered a crisis between them and our brothers' community from Cross River, but we are trying to make sure there's peace. I won't say that they are not deprived of their landed properties, but I can tell you that we have never been reported of any land deprivation, because I have come here more than six times this year to settle dispute between them and our brothers of Ekori, and it's been a success settlement. I'm enjoining them to calm down, make comprise where necessary to achieve a permanent peace.
"As for water, there were so many boreholes, but a report has come to my office that some of them are not functional, and I have given them my word that I will intervene this dry season. For health, we have health centres here, but the issue is that the health personnel are not always in the office. I have taken the report to the higher authorities, and I assure them very soon that those personnel will be reporting to the health centres and everything will become normal. For road, the road which traverses this community has been captured in the 2025 budget of Ebonyi State and work will commence soon," he said.
Also, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman Abakaliki Local Government Area, High Chief Paulinus Atam, applauded Mr Elom for his continuous promotion of the welfare of the people and assured them that the government would soon address their needs.
In an interview, beneficiaries, including Comrade Igwe Innocent, a retired Head Master, Mr Nwode Ogodo and Mrs Josephine Oketa, thanked the organizer and urged the Ebonyi state government and well-meaning individuals and organizations to come to their aid, and assured to be peaceful till their disputed land being demarcated.
The highlights of the event included a masquerade display, an okperegede dance and women cultural troupes, among others.
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