A widow, Mama Mariyamo Audu Azuo, has received a new room-and-parlour self-contained house donated by the My People First Foundation in Inata Community, Obeiba, Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The building was officially commissioned and handed over to the beneficiary at a ceremony held over the weekend, making it the second house provided by the foundation for vulnerable women within two months.
Speaking at the event, the founder of the foundation, Hajiya Aishat Oyiza Omade, said the gesture was part of her commitment to provide decent accommodation for at least four widows before the end of the year.
Hajiya Omade said she was fulfilled by the opportunity to bring hope and happiness to people who might never have the capacity to repay her, explaining that her humanitarian efforts were inspired by strangers whom God had used to transform her own life.
She noted that her appointment as the State Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of KOSSIPA had further provided her with an avenue to make meaningful contributions to society, particularly by improving the lives of women and other vulnerable persons.
According to her, women make up a substantial portion of the electorate and deserve to benefit from government programmes, either directly or through public officials appointed to serve them.
She urged wealthy individuals to look beyond personal accumulation and extend assistance to vulnerable people in their communities.
“The true measure of wealth is not how much a person accumulates, but the number of lives he or she is able to touch and transform,” she said.
Hajiya Omade also reaffirmed her determination to continue supporting elderly women living in dilapidated structures and facing difficult living conditions.
Commissioning the building, the Technical Adviser to the Governor on Donors and Multilateral Affairs, Dr. Ozomata Abdullahi, praised the foundation for providing two homes for vulnerable women within two months.
Dr. Abdullahi prayed for God’s continued blessings and greater opportunities for Hajiya Omade, while encouraging other privileged members of society to emulate the gesture by supporting people in need.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS), Alhaji Sule Salihu Enehe, stressed the importance of combining housing support with economic empowerment.
He donated cash to Mama Mariyamo to enable her start a small-scale business and urged other individuals and organisations to contribute towards giving the widow a sustainable source of income.
According to him, economic empowerment would ensure that the new house becomes more than just a shelter, but also a platform from which the beneficiary can rebuild her life and achieve greater dignity and independence.
The appeal attracted additional support from other well-meaning individuals, who made further donations to assist Mama Mariyamo in establishing her business.
Expressing gratitude, Mama Mariyamo thanked Hajiya Omade for coming to her rescue at a time when she had almost lost hope.
She explained that her former residence had become severely dilapidated, forcing her to rent a room elsewhere. However, she continued to return to the old family house every evening in keeping with a promise she had made to her late father never to abandon the family home.
The widow appealed to the government, organisations and other individuals to identify and assist people living in similarly difficult conditions across the state.
