The Ikechukwu Ezeugwu Foundation has disclosed its plan to float micro-credit and start-ups in different trades for indigents in Enugu state, which will help them create wealth for themselves and their families.
The Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, Dr Ikechukwu Ezeugwu made the disclosure in an Easter get-together of the foundation with community members at Igugu, Udenu local government area of Enugu state.
Ezeugu said that the empowerment package will help in the mitigation of the prevailing hardship across the country, particularly in the locality where the foundation distributed food items as part of Easter celebrations.
Though the foundation had for over 10 years focused on education, including award of scholarship, Ezeugwu said that poverty alleviation was very imperative, stressing that arrangements had been concluded to give skills, micro-credit and start-ups to those who needed such empowerment.
He posited that it was not enough giving palliatives to people as it was not a permanent measure rather, he opted for teaching them how to fish as against giving them fish.
“My coming into politics exposed me to the realities of the plight of the common man. Before, I was a technocrat doing his thing out there but now you find out that a lot of people finding it difficult to feed unless. And in Ikechukwu Ezeugwu Foundation, I will always say that as God keeps providing, I will keep providing for people. We empower life through education and there’s nothing bad in empowering life through empowering the people to at least have a square meal especially this festive period.
“Don’t be surprised to see us after this period, empowering people to be in business; tailoring and other skills. We’ve been into mentorship and sooner than later, we could say, can we be able to create millionaires,” Ezeugwu said.
The Parish priest of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Igugu, Udenu LGA, Rev. Fr John Makata, extolled the benefactor for taking care of the poor.
He likened Ezeugwu’s gesture to what Jesus Christ did; “He fed so many people at a time when they were hungry and the Christians follow suit, each time there is a situation like this, you see philanthropist gather people, feed them like what we witnessed today,” Fr Makata said.
He urged other well-meaning Nigerians especially the wealthy to imbibe the spirit of caring for the needy in the society.
