BY ABUCHI IFESINACHI, AWKA
Wife of the Anambra State Governor Chief Mrs.Ebelechukwu Obiano has once again restated her commitment to empowering the down -trodden in Anambra State as panacea to helping them contribute to the overall development of the state .
Mrs.Obiano who stated this at the Women Development Centre Awka on the occasion of the second phase of distribution of prosthetic limbs, explained that her passion to alleviating the sufferings of the poor and the needy in society knew no bounds .
She said it was of paramount importance to remember those who had one physical deformity or the other especially when they are financially incapacitated to attend to such problems ; which according to her was the remote reason why she gave out the prosthetic limbs to the beneficiaries to enable them develop economically as well as contribute their quota to the development of the state .
She said the first phase of the exercise was held in December last year where in about 300 people benefitted . Obiano's wife therefore explained that God sent her and her husband to planet earth to do good and be benevolent to people stressing that they have been engaged in charity work for more than 25 years now helping the poor and the needy in the society .
She also stated that rather than stock-pile wealth , it was important for the affluent to extend an olive branch to the less-privileged in the society by visiting old-peoples' homes , motherless-babies homes , orphanages , hospitals and a host of other places where people required financial and other forms of assistance . Mrs.Obiano equally explained that the Governor's target was to eradicate abject poverty from Anambra State before his exit from office .
Contributing the State Commissioner for Health Dr.Joe Akabuike observed that it was an innate characteristic in the wife of the Governor and her husband to embark on philanthropic ventures geared towards uplifting the living standards of the have-nots in the society . To this end , the commissioner thanked the first lady on her pet-project as well as revealed that Governor Willie Obiano recently paid 15 million naira hospital bills for indigent patients in Anambra State alongside another 10 million naira for heart transplant of a young lad he saw on Channels Television . He said over 200 persons would benefit in the 2nd phase of the distribution of prosthetic limbs .
For his part the Secretary to the Anambra State Government Mr.Henry Oseloka Obaze while delivering vote of thanks on the occasion prayed that God should bless and reward the Governor's wife abundantly .
Present on the occasion include comnissioners , local government chairmen , traditional rulers , APGA party faithful and other top government functionaries .