By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki.
The member representing Ebonyi North East Constituency in Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon Mrs Chinyere Nwogbaga yesterday offered scholarships to ten indigent students in different tertiary institutions.
The undergraduate students who were seven girls and three boys received 100 thousand Naira each from the female lawmaker to pay their tuition fee for this academic session.
Mrs Nwogbaga also distributed bags of rice with cash to indigent women, aged, orphans, widows and other vulnerable persons in her constituency during the empowerment and flag off of the rural women health insurance scheme enrollment programme at her Abaoffia country home, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital.
Each of the beneficiaries numbering over 60 smiled home with a bag of rice and 20 thousand Naira.
Pregnant women and the aged, among other vulnerable persons from the area, were also offered free enrollment into Ebonyi State Health Insurance Scheme, EBSHIA during the event, flagged off by Ebonyi First Lady, Chief Mrs Uzoamka Nwifuru.
In her address, Mrs Nwogbaga said the programme was born out of her love to assist and give succour to her constituents, especially the vulnerable persons across the political wards in her constituency and beyond.
Taking cognizance of the hardship confronting the nation, the lawmaker said, she decided to make her little contribution in a bid to ameliorate the situation through the programme.
According to her, the programme titled, "Empowerment of Indigent Women and Enrollment of Indigent Persons into Health Insurance Scheme," under the aegis of Ada-Eji-Ejemba Charity Foundation, would serve as an antidote to harsh economic realities of the present day and by extension; attends to the campaign mantra of Governor Francis Nwifuru's People's Charter of Needs.
Nwogbaga commended the life-touching initiatives of the Governor's wife through the Better Health for Children, Women and Internally Displaced Persons (BERWO) Foundation and pledged to partner and consolidate on the dictate and nitty-gritty of the organization.
Nwogbaga who was the immediate past Chairman of Ebonyi Council Area, disclosed that as a lawmaker at the State Assembly has been committed to the passage of life-touching laws, and also appointed over 30 constituents as her aides with reasonable remunerations.
These steps, in her words, were done to cushion the effects of hardship in her constituency and at the same time, to expand her coast in ensuring effective and equitable representation.
In her remarks, the Ebonyi First Lady, Mrs Uzomaka Nwifuru commended the lawmaker for having taken bold steps towards addressing the plights of her constituents especially the downtrodden.
Mrs Nwifuru represented by Professor Nkechi Echiegu further extolled the female lawmaker's commitment towards advancing the education of indigent female students with their male counterparts through her scholarship foundation.
The governor's wife advised the beneficiaries of the scholarship to make good use of the opportunity to achieve excellence in their studies and warned them against engaging themselves in any social vice.
She said that BERWO remains committed to addressing the health, education and empowerment of children, women and internally displaced persons in the state.
Nwifuru disclosed that BERWO has enrolled over 4,000 pregnant women in health insurance schemes including women, children, physically challenged persons for free medication and hernia patients for free surgical treatment in the state.
She urged well-meaning persons in the society to be partners with the foundation in delivering its services to the needy.
Also, the Chairman of Ebonyi Local Government Area - Barrister Chinedu Uburu lauded the lawmaker for bringing succour to her constituents and assured that his administration would invest more in addressing the welfare of Ebonyi Council people if he emerged victorious in his second bid.
Other guests at the event included the President of Oha Izhi Nnodo - His Royal Highness Eze Sunday Oketa, member 1 in Ebonyi State Civil Service Commission - Chief Chris Uchaji, Commissioner for Human Capital Development and Monitoring - Mrs Ann Aligwe, Special Assistant to the State Governor on Internal Security in Ebonyi LGA - Mr Emmanuel Mbam, Echiaba Development Centre Coordinator - Prince Friday Oketa, Ozibo Development Centre Coordinator - Mrs Susana Nwogbaga Unah among others commended the Mrs Nwogaga's empowerment programme and urged her to sustain the tempo.
They urged other state lawmakers to emulate her by bringing democracy dividends to their various constituencies.
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