By Eric Elezuo

In furtherance of her activities geared towards affecting lives of the indigents, with special emphasis on widows, the Spring of Joy for Widows Foundation has once again spread its wings of kindness and passion to the widows of Nigeria. This was a follow-up to its earlier reach out conducted in May 2024 where over 250 widows were presented with food items in an event tagged Food Pantry and Medical Checkup for Widows.

In August 2024, the Founder of the Foundation, Mrs Anastasia Daniel, in company of her husband, arrived Nigeria from their base in the United States of America, and stormed some nooks and crannies of the nation with bags of smiles and hope for widows following a well attended launch of the Foundation in Surulere, Lagos.

It would be recalled that earlier in the year, at a well organized event held at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Christ Disciples Parish, Surulere, Lagos, which the Resident Pastor, Richard Umoren, graciously gave out, the Foundation released diverse and assorted food items to deserving widows, as well as conducted free medical checkups to ascertain the state of the health of the widows, using the best of medical personnels, drawn from the Christian Medical and Dental Association, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) chapter.

Kickstarting the avalanche of humanitarian efforts, Mrs Daniel and her team of Spring of Joy for Widows Foundation caregivers embarked on several impactful events to support widows in different parts of Nigeria, thereby furthering its mission of empowerment and care.

At a Food Pantry Event held at Ilogbo, Ogun State, the foundation conducted a food distribution event, where 133 widows were empowered.

According to Mrs Daniel, who consistently told her story of growing up with her widowed mother, each widow received essential food items, including rice, beans, garri, noodles and bags of sachet water.

“This initiative was aimed at addressing the immediate food needs of the widows and providing them with a sense of relief and support during these challenging times,” Mrs. Daniel said.

At the official launch of the Foundation, which was juxtaposed with a Fundraising ceremony in Surulere, Lagos, with about 100 guests in attendance, Mrs. Daniel assured stakeholders and guests of her Foundation’s readiness to spread good tidings to as many Nigerians in need as possible, maintaining that the day was specially designed to raise awareness about the foundation’s cause and generate financial support for its ongoing and future initiatives.

The event drew together notable television personalities, founders of other organizations, and influential individuals, giving it a high-profile status.

As a followup to the Launch, the Foundation undertook a Food Pantry Event at the Assemblies of God Church, Coker Orile, Lagos, where a remarkable 310 widows received free food items, ranging from rice, beans, garri, spaghetti, to bags of sachet water. Each widow present at the event received a generous helping of all the items. This event further extended the foundation’s reach, ensuring that more widows received the support they needed.

ABOUT SPRING OF JOY FOR WIDOWS FOUNDATION 

The Spring of Joy for Widows Foundation is a non-profit organization established to empower and uplift widows by providing them with basic necessities, emotional support, and opportunities for a better future.

Through these empowerment events, the foundation aims to ease the burden of widowhood, provide food security, and foster a sense of community and belonging among widows.

According to the Founder, “Each initiative is a step towards achieving a long-term empowerment opportunity for widows, ensuring they have the resources and support to lead dignified lives.”

The Foundation is an NGO committed to making a profound difference in the lives of widows, addressing their unique challenges, and ensuring they lead lives of dignity, independence, and purpose.

It is further rooted in a deep sense of compassion, equality, and social justice, with the goal of creating a world where widows are not marginalized, but celebrated for their resilience and strength.

Mrs Daniel, a Nigerian citizen of Enugu extraction, is an embodiment of compassion, who has taken it upon herself to contribute to the upliftment of the indigent, using the widows as a starting point.

She strongly believe that the fact that a woman has lost has husband, does not mean that she has lost her purpose, self-will and destiny goal, maintaining that “Every widow is still destined for greatness no matter the circumstances.”

By Eric Elezuo

Africa and Nigeria’s richest person, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has up his game in the billionaire’s list, clearing 18 huedles to become the 65th richws person in the world.

Dangote, who is the president of Dangote Industries Limited and the Dangote Refinery, achieved this feat inspite of the dwindling Nigerian economy, which has adversely affected the performance of the Naira against the dollar and other currencies of the world.

Dangote’s sporadic rise in the list of Billionaires is attributed to the final kickoff of the commercial activities of the 650,000bpd refinery.

The businessman increased his wealth to $28 billion after his $20 billion refinery located in Lagos commenced operations this year and produced premium motor spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, in September.

In its latest Top 500 Billionaires Index released on Thursday, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index revealed that Mr Dangote moved to a new level from the 83rd he was in 2022.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index ranks the world’s richest people daily. In calculating net worth, Bloomberg News strives to provide the most transparent calculations available, and each individual billionaire profile contains a detailed analysis of how that person’s fortune is tallied.

The index is a dynamic measure of personal wealth based on changes in markets, the economy and Bloomberg reporting. Each net worth figure is updated every business day after the close of trading in New York. Stakes in publicly traded companies are valued using the share’s most recent closing price. Valuations are converted to U.S. dollars at current exchange rates.

The report stated that Mr Johann Rupert of South Africa is 174 on the world list, with a wealth of $13.6 billion and Nicky Oppenheimer also of South Africa is number 224 with a wealth of $11.6 billion.

Other Africans on the list are South African’s Natie Karsh on number 297 in the world with a wealth of $9.25 billion, Egypt’s Nassef Sawiris on number 302 in the world with a wealth of $9.16 billion, and Naguib Sawiris also of Egypt with a wealth of $7.37 billion on number 407 in the world.

Ellon Musk and Jeff Bezos are the richest in the world with $242 billion and $210 billion, respectively in their kitties, while Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Ellison followed, respectively with $204 billion and $185 billion on the world’s billionaires’ chart.

UBA Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has announced the commencement of the 2024 edition of its annual National Essay Competition (NEC) with a Call for Entries in Nigeria.

Now in its 14th year, the annual National Essay Competition (NEC) is part of the UBA Foundation’s education initiative aimed at championing literacy and encouraging intellectual development among senior secondary school students across Nigeria and the African continent.

The 2024 edition will see increased participation from senior secondary school students across Nigeria as they can conveniently submit their entries from the comfort of their homes or schools via the UBA Foundation NEC digital submission portal at www.ubagroup.com/uba-foundation/national-essay-competition

The essay topic for the call for entries is “Discuss the Impact of Carbon Emission on Climate in Nigeria: Challenges and Solutions”. Students are expected to properly research, write, scan and upload their handwritten essays to the digital portal on or before November 8, 2024.

The essays will be graded by renowned English professors who will then select the best 75 entries, which will be rewarded with N75,000 cash. A second competition will be held across four regions in Nigeria – Abuja, Enugu, Lagos and Port Harcourt where the 75 candidates will compete to be one of the 20 finalists. These 20 finalists will thereafter write a third essay where the top three will be selected.

The Foundation has also announced a substantial increase in educational grants as the first-place winner will receive N7.5 million to study at any African university of their choice, while the second and third-place winners will receive N5 million and N3.5 million, respectively.

The Chief Executive Officer, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, who spoke ahead of the flag-off of this year’s completion, noted that despite the current global economic challenges, UBA Foundation remains steadfast in their commitment to educational excellence by significantly increasing the grant prizes this year

“We are aware of what families and parents are going through especially in the face of the current economic climate in Nigeria, and by raising the first-place prize to N7.5 million, with N5 million and N3.5 million for second and third places respectively, we are making a bold statement about our dedication to African education. The increase in grant prizes reflect our understanding of the rising costs of quality education and our determination to ensure that exceptional students can pursue their academic dreams without financial constraints.” Atta said

Apart from the 75 best essays, the 20 finalists will go home with brand new Laptops and other educational tools to help them with their studies and other tertiary research work. Also, the teachers of the school with the highest number of entries will be rewarded.

Atta pointed out that professors from leading Nigerian universities will serve as judges to evaluate the entries at all levels, to ensure fairness and transparency.

Speaking on the foundation’s unwavering commitment to development across Africa, Bola Atta, reiterated that NEC is a testament to UBA Foundation’s broader education initiatives, which include the ‘Read Africa’ program, which has distributed hundreds of thousands of books to students across the continent.

“The competition stands as a beacon of our commitment to nurturing Africa’s next generation of leaders and thinkers,” Atta said. “Through initiatives like this and our ‘Read Africa’ program, we’re not just promoting literacy; we’re investing in the intellectual capital that will shape Africa’s future”

The National Essay Competition has been rolled out in other African countries where UBA operates, in order to open up the opportunity for more African children to benefit from the educational grants.

UBA Foundation embodies the UBA Group’s CSR objectives and seeks to impact positively societies through several laudable projects and initiatives. Through its Education pillar, the Foundation has donated hundreds of thousands of books to students across Africa under the ‘Read Africa’ initiative aimed at encouraging and promoting the reading culture in African youths. Its National Essay Competition has also afforded the opportunity to hundreds of students to improve their lives through higher education.