Wife of Delta State Governor and Founder of 05 Initiative, Dame Edith Okowa addressing journalists in Asaba. With her is the State Commissioner of Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu. |
The
wife of Governor of Delta State, and Founder 05 Initiative, Dame Edith Okowa today, Wednesday, October 2, 2019 said her
Non-Governmental Organisation did not receive any money and that no Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with any organization and no commitment
has been made.
Addressing
a press conference in Asaba, where she expressed gratitude to the media for
giving support to the 05 Initiative in the last four years, and helping to
create awareness of the programmes and activities, which has attracted national
and international attention to her NGO, she spoke obviously to put the record
straight about a news report that states in its headline that “Delta First Lady
gets N3.5bn grant to fight sickle cell.”
The report had stated: “The Initiative for
Global Development (IGD), a U.S.-based nonprofit organisation, has announced
the donation of 10 million dollars (N3.5 billion) for the management of sickle
cell disease (SCD) in Delta.
The Agency report had
also stated that the money is coming through 05 Initiative, the pet project of
Mrs Edith Okowa, wife of the state Governor.
Excerpts from the
Agency report reads:“Leila Ndiaye, the Chief Executive
Officer of IGD, made the announcement at a sickle cell sensitisation forum
organised by 05 Initiative in New York on Thursday.
“The
event, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, was part of the
funding and partnership drive of 05 Initiative, a nongovernmental organisation.
“Ndiaye
said the money was meant for the digitisation of sickle cell centres
established by 05 Initiative across the state to provide care for patients.
“According
to her, the gesture was inspired by Mrs Okowa’s commitment to the fight against
the disease, which is widespread in Nigeria.
“The
country is said to have one of the highest incidences of the blood disorder in
the world, with about 40 million carriers.”
Obviously making the
issue clear, Delta First Lady said: “A major outcome of our UN presentation is
the expressed desire of The Initiative for Global Development to partner with
05 Initiative. Their interest is centred on digitizing our sickle cell clinics
across the state. This will generate critical data that will aid in the
management of sickle cell patients. I would like to state categorically that no
memorandum of understanding has been signed and no financial commitment has
been made.”
Answering a
Reporter’s question on whether she was given money or her organization for the
project, Mrs. Okowa reiterated: “No money was given to 05 Initiative.”
Speaking on the work
being done by her NGO, Dame Okowa said: “05 Initiative, as you may be aware, is
a Non-Governmental Organization inspired by the teaching of our Lord Jesus
Christ in Matthew 25:35-36. Our mission is to:
·
Feed the hungry
·
Provide shelter for the homeless
·
Clothe the poor
·
Care for the sick and
·
Visit the prisoners.”
The prison welfare
programme of 05 Initiative has seen the organization distributing free
medication to the five prisons across Delta state. “We have constructed water
supply systems in all the prisons, distributed toiletries to prisoners, helped
to pay fines to secure the release of prisoners who were unable to pay them and
have also conducted free medical outreaches for the prisoners.
“We have also
focused on orphans. We house them in suitable accommodations across the state
and pay tuition for some of them. Every second Monday in November is World Orphans
Day, which we commemorate by distributing food and provisions to every
registered orphanage in the state, thus giving these children a sense of belonging.
“Women empowerment
is one of our cardinal programmes through which we financially assist indigent
women. 05 Initiative has produced lock-up stores for women who desired to trade
and also created opportunities for women and young girls who showed interest in
acquiring a skill. Every year we provide welfare packages such as food items to
2,500 women across the three senatorial districts of the state.”
Mrs. Okowa
continued: “In 2018, you may recall that we held a massive grassroots medical outreach
in the state where we attended to 26,304 patients, distributed 15,811
eyeglasses, dispensed 9,380 eye drops and performed surgery on 2,241 patients.
In the past four years, we have paid hospital bills for indigent patients to
the tune of nearly N14million majority through our World Charity Day celebrated
on the 5th of September every year.
“Perhaps our most
visible achievement to date is our contribution to the treatment and management
of sickle cell disorder. Towards this end, we have so far established 12 sickle
cell centres in government-owned hospitals in Agbor, Oleh, Sapele, Kwale, Okpe,
Ughelli, Out-Jeremi, Umunede, Issele-Uku, Patani, Eku and Koko where we have
put modern laboratory equipment, genetic counselors and medical doctors to
attend to these ‘warriors’ who are determined to survive in spite of all odds.
“All these
activities formed part of our presentation at the just concluded United Nations
General Assembly. To the glory of God, our modest efforts in tackling the
sickle cell disorder caught the interest of organizations and individuals who
were motivated to do same in their respective countries. This has always been
our yearning; that each and every one of us will contribute our quota in order
to change the world, one person at a time,” Mrs. Okowa said.
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