In the spirit of Christmas and the season of giving, the Senior Special Assistant to the Executive Governor of Kogi State on Electronic Media, Office of the First Lady, Hon. Janet Samuel, has brought relief and joy to vulnerable women in her community through a special Christmas outreach.
The outreach, held ahead of the yuletide at Uboro/Omavie/Ohuepe Ward in Okehi Local Government Area, benefitted over 100 women, including widows, persons with disabilities and the elderly. The beneficiaries received food items and cash support to enable them celebrate the festive season with dignity.
Women drawn from both Christian and Muslim communities received 5kg bags of rice, food ingredients and cash donations, underscoring the inclusive nature of the initiative and reinforcing the message of unity, compassion and peaceful coexistence.
Speaking at the event, Hon. Janet said the outreach was inspired by her passion for giving back to society and in line with the people centred vision of the Renewed Hope agenda being championed in Kogi State by Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and his wife, Hajia Sefinat Usman Ododo.
She expressed appreciation to Governor Ododo for what she described as people friendly policies, including the prompt payment of salaries, infrastructural development and improved governance, which she said have continued to enhance the welfare of citizens across the state.
Hon. Janet also commended the wife of the Governor for her motherly leadership and sustained commitment to the empowerment of women and the care of vulnerable groups through various humanitarian and empowerment programmes.
According to her, the First Lady has consistently ensured that women at the grassroots are reached through her aides, stressing her belief that “no woman should go hungry or be left behind.”
She assured the beneficiaries of more dividends of democracy and urged women at the grassroots to continue to pray for the success of the current administration and the re-election of Governor Ododo in 2027.
Also speaking, former APC Chairman of Okehi Local Government Area, Hon. Dauda Momohjimoh, thanked the Governor for ongoing road projects linking several villages in the community, describing them as long-awaited interventions.
He equally appreciated the wife of the Governor for extending support to women in the ward through Hon. Janet, and appealed to the state government to address the community’s pressing need for clean and potable water.
In her opening remarks, the Ward Special Assistant to the Governor, Hon. Hajara Achi, thanked Governor Ododo and the First Lady for their continued support and offered prayers for divine guidance for the administration.
She expressed happiness over the food distribution, noting that it would help cushion the effects of economic hardship in the area, while commending Hon. Janet for her effective representation at the state level and wishing her greater success in her political career.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Asmau Umar, a widow, described the outreach as unprecedented in the history of the community.
“This is the first time we are receiving rice in this quantity,” she said, while offering prayers for the Governor, the First Lady and the organisers, and wishing them success ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Christmas outreach once again underscores the importance of grassroots driven humanitarian initiatives in strengthening social cohesion and bringing governance closer to the people of Kogi State.
