The Nigerian-Turkish Universities Old Students Association has canvassed giving to the less-privileged and vulnerable members of society, noting that “this would significantly reduce poverty and also address insecurity among Nigerians.”
The association, made up of Nigerians who attended universities in Turkiyé (Turkey) averred that “the harsh economic situation in the country makes more urgent the need for Nigeria and Nigerians to reinvent the culture of caring for others, no matter how little individuals and groups might have.”
This was contained in a statement reviewing the association’s programme of activities for the 2024/2025 season, signed by the association’s international coordinator, Mr Frisky Larr (Friday Agbonlahor), a Germany-based journalist, copies of which were made available to journalists in Warri, Delta State on Monday.
The statement came on the heels of the association’s donation of various items and cash gifts to some established homes for motherless children and orphans in Edo and Delta states including Saint Anne Orphanage, Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State and Ajebor Orphanage, located in Uwelu area of Benin-City, Edo State.
It explained that “the association has continued to make philanthropic gestures to orphanages, the physically challenged and the newborn because the benefits of sharing with these members of the society are too enormous and invaluable to enumerate.”
It therefore urged more Nigerians to practise the act of giving to the less privileged and vulnerable members of society, emphasizing that “such acts will go a long way in making a difference in their lives and thereby reduce poverty levels in the country.”
It added, “Where insecurity is associated with high levels of poverty, then invariably reducing poverty would also lead to significantly addressing insecurity in the society.
“If more Nigerians imbibed the age-long culture of being our brothers’ keeper, then much would have been accomplished towards creating an egalitarian and progressive society.”
The statement noted that activities of the association during the period under review resonated at orphanages in Lagos State, Okwe (near Asaba) and Warri in Delta State, Benin City in Edo State, neonatal unit of the General Hospital, Agulu in Anambra State (where nursing mothers were beneficiaries) as well as the Poorest-of-the-Poor Home for vulnerable citizens in Gwagwalada in the FCT, Abuja, Nigeria.
Speaking during the group’s visit to the orphanage in Effurun, Hon Emmanuel Orugboh, a former member of the Delta State House of Assembly, who coordinates the association’s activity in Delta State, expressed delight “at the opportunity to share with a handful of the vulnerable of our society.”
He maintained that the idea was far from attempting to impress anybody with the amount of money and items donated to the charity homes visited.
He added, “Rather, the initiative was meant to complement various efforts by good-spirited individuals desirous of making life meaningful to these vulnerable and less privileged members of society.
“We have a culture in this country of being our brother’s keeper. We don’t say we are too poor or don’t have enough to share with others. I think this prevailing situation in the country requires the revival of this culture because that will address many problems we are facing in the country, including pervasive poverty and insecurity.”
At the Ajebor Orphanage located in the Uwelu area of Benin City, Edo State, a delegation of the group led by Prof. Peter Ogundigie of the Igbinedion University, who is also the Edo State Coordinator, expressed similar sentiments as they shared moments with the cheerful children while the home heartily accepted various food items and cash from the association.
Prof Ogundigie, who was also in Effurun in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State on a similar mission, commended the founders and workers at orphanages, stating that “God is always pleased with those who offer humanitarian services and give parental care to children who are orphaned due to no fault of theirs at all.”
Larr concurred with the former Delta lawmaker, Hon Orugboh, and Prof Ogundigie, that “the association’s donation to the orphanages was just a gesture of love meant to enhance the beneficiaries’ feeling of love and joy.”
He revealed that the defunct Bendel State chapter of the association in particular had resolved to sustain and improve upon the annual charitable programme in future.
Larr, who introduced the philanthropic dimension to the hitherto purely social annual programme of the association in Nigeria, underscored the fact that “though only a little over a decade old, the body (Türkiyé Old Boys Association) has active members spread around the country and other parts of the world.”
He enthused, “We must thank God for the inspiration and grace to chip in this bit for humanity. It all started as a seasonal friends’ hangout when some of our old boys gathered together to share a few drinks and generally socialize. Then the idea struck one that numerous people sharing a drink at the end of the year would be sheer luxury.”
