Alumni association rallies support for less privileged

Philip Daniel Yatai
Dec, Sat, 2023

General News

Alumni association rallies support for less privileged

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By Angela Atabo

The Turkish Students Alumni Association has called on well-meaning and well-to-do Nigerians to show love and kindness to the less privileged in the country to alleviate their sufferings this year end.

An Alumnus of the Association, Godwin Aghahowa, spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, during a donation of food stuff and toiletries among others, to the Anawim Home in Gwagwalada, FCT.

Aghahowa said the association comprised a group of friends who attended school in Turkey in the 80s and decided to come together to support each other and the society.

“The idea came that instead of gathering to drink and eat, we should reach out to the less privileged and we know that it will encourage them and put smiles on the faces of these children.

“We visited them earlier to know what their needs are and how to reach out; this is not just going on in Abuja; tomorrow our friends in Lagos will do the same.

“This same week, our friends in Anambra have done their own; the policy is that every other year, we will be doing this in our little way to show God’s goodness to us.

“Many who studied with us have died; we just buried one not long, but we are alive.

“So, we are using this to say God, thank you for keeping us and as long as we leave, we will continue to do this in a bigger way.”

Aghahowa urged Nigerians to always remember to do good as long as they were alive.

He urged citizens to remember that there were children and people living in situations lower than their own.

“That alone should motivate us; it is not enough to just buy drinks, cook good food and eat and enjoy ourselves, because if we fail to carry them along, I don’t think it would be good for us.

“So, I believe God that as we have done this; and the children have also prayed; it will go a long way to motivating us to do more.

“So, I pray that others outside should remember the less privileged in our society,” he said.

Dr Sunny Idehen, another Alumnus, said the group came together to look for ways to help people not privileged.

Idehen said that the group came up with the idea of putting money together to buy things and to send to orphanages and to pay medical bills for those not unable to pay.

“Last week, we put some money together to give to no fewer than 20 mothers who just left the maternity ward; there are some people; they will give birth and don’t have money to pay.

“The hospitals work in ways that if you don’t pay, they won’t discharge you; they hold you hostage; that was why we helped them and we will do the same for 20 mothers in Lagos too tomorrow who just gave birth.

“We are actually expanding; next year, we are looking at scholarship projects whereby we can give scholarships to bright Nigerian students who are not privileged and we also fly the idea of identifying hospitals where and pay bills for those who pay,” he said.

Idehen said the gestures would go a long way to ameliorate the plight of the less privileged in the society as well as granting them access to healthcare.

Ms Francisca Hule, a caregiver at Anawim Home, commended the Turkish Students Alumni for their kind gesture and explained that the shelter was run by the Missionary Sisters for the poorest of the poor.

Hule said that the home provided shelter for the abused, abandoned, motherless children and persons with disabilities as well as mentally derailed people.

“I want to encourage Nigerians to do good because they are sowing into their future.

“When you help you find joy in your heart, you can never help and be stranded; so, I call on other well-meaning Nigerians to emulate this group,” she said (NAN)

Edited by Chijioke Okoronkwo

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