COVID-19: Peter Obi, Obaze, Oduah, Ozigbo, other PDP members donate N125M to Anambra for palliatives

—as PDP asks for land to build COVID-19 testing center

It was cheering news this evening in Anambra state as some Stakeholders of the Nigeria’s main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Anambra Chapter raised a whopping sum of money totalling about N125 Million for COVID-19 intervention.

This novel and noble initiative www.odogwublog.com reports stood out as the first of it’s kind in the country since the invasion of the dreaded COVID-19 virus by a political party.

The fund, wilfully raised will be used to help the less privileged families and persons in Anambra state while the COVID-19 pandemic rages on.

The wonderful initiative, led by HE Mr. Peter Obi, the immediate past Governor of Anambra State and former Vice Presidential candidate of PDP in the 2019 general election, according to the state Chairman of PDP, Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu was a clear manifestation his ability to galvanise the stakeholders of the party and a perfect indication that PDP as a political party truly and genuinely care for Ndi Anambra.

According to a statement by PDP leaders on Saturday, May 16, 2020 where some of the palliative were shared, the palliatives will be distributed among all the 178 communities in the state for less privileged members of the state such that every community in the state will have about 60 members of their community benefiting from the palliatives both in cash and in kind.

About N42 million will be used to provide food and other items directly to all wards in the south-eastern states.

From the fund, items and cash worth N15 million will be donated to Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Nnewi; Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital, Awka; General Hospital, Onitsha and other hospitals and health centres.

In making this donation, the Anambra PDP enjoined every Nigerian to work together as a family because COVID-19 is neither political, tribal, nor religious.

The statement read in full:

PDP ANAMBRA POST-LOCKDOWN CASH AND OTHER MATERIAL WELFARE SUPPORT
Ndi Anambra, we the PDP Family in Anambra State, sincerely thank you for abiding by the rules and regulations prescribed by the Federal and State governments in the fight against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

We thank our heroes and heroines in the field, our health care workers, who are at the fore front of this fight. We mourn our compatriots who have lost their lives to this pandemic. Our hearts go out to their families and loved ones. May God comfort and strengthen you and us all.
We also thank the Federal government and the Anambra State government for all their efforts through the period of the lockdown and continuing.

We equally appreciate the Anambra State PDP Leadership, Legislators and Stakeholders, and other well-meaning Ndi Anambra in different communities, who, in spite of the difficult times, made noticeable and laudable sacrifices to help reduce the hardship experienced by our people in different towns and villages across the state.
This COVID-19 pandemic calls for synergy by all stakeholders as the pandemic requires all of us to work together as a family because, it neither respects political position, tribal origin and religious affiliation, nor has it any form of sentiments whatsoever. It affects all of us same way and manner, and we all must fight it together as a family and for humanity.

With the announced relaxation of the lockdown, the PDP Family in Anambra State is aware of the challenges facing the less privileged ones amongst us. While we know that the Federal government and the Anambra State government will, and have been doing a lot to help the people restart their lives, we in PDP Anambra deem it imperative as a party and as a people to, once again, rise up and support our people, especially the most vulnerable ones, to get back on their feet.
We are therefore committing the sum of N125,000,000 (One hundred and twenty five million naira) towards this purpose.
In line with our strict position of ensuring accountability and transparency to the public on contributions and expenditures, we wish to give a breakdown of what the N125,000,000 entails as follows:

Anambra State, owing to it’s economic and commercial importance to our nation, deserves to have a COVID-19 testing lab in place. PDP Anambra state, is therefore committing to setting up a standard COVID-19 testing lab within 21 days of adequate space being provided by either the Anambra State Government or in the alternative, the Federal Government. We are therefore requesting the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Anambra State Government to provide us a space either at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi; the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Awka; or any of the hospitals in Anambra State, donated to the Federal Government by the Catholic Church; to set up a standard COVID-19 testing lab for this purpose.
We will be donating to each community in Anambra State the sum of N300,000 (three hundred thousand naira).

This will enable the communities to give 60 least privileged persons/families in each community N5000 (five thousand naira) each, to help them start life again and contribute to their business revival in this post lockdown era. While there are 179 communities in Anambra State, there are some additional areas that, we believe, need to be accommodated. For example Onitsha Urban area (Onitsha North and Onitsha South LGA), Obosi town (Obosi Urban and Obosi Village), Okpoko area in Ogbaru etc, are some of the communities we considered as 2-in-1.

N105,000 (One hundred and five thousand naira) will be used to provide food, cash and other items, as palliatives, directly to each ward in our communities.

We graciously thank the under-listed donors for their generosity; Anambra PDP BoT Members Anambra State PDP Chairman and Executives Mr. Peter Obi – N40,000,000 Senator Stella Oduah – N10,000,000 Senator Uche Ekwunife – N10,000,000 Hon. Chukwuka Onyema – N5,000,000 Hon. Chris Azubogu – N5,000,000 Hon. Obinna Chidoka – N5,000,000 Hon. Lynda Ikpeazu – N5,000,000 Hon. Vincent Ofumelu – N5,000,000 Hon. Samuel Onwuaso – N5,000,000 Chief Linus Ukachukwu – N5,000,000
Dr. Godwin Maduka – N3,000,000

Mr. Valentine Ozigbo – N2,500,000 Chief Obiorah Okonkwo – N2,500,000 Chief Ugo Nsofor – N2,000,000 Hon Ebele Ejiofor – N1,000,000 Hon Onyebuchi Offor – N1,000,000 Hon Johnbosco Akaegbobi – N1,000,000 Hon Somtochukwu Udeze – N1,000,000 Hon Noble Igwe – N1,000,000 Hon Douglas Egbuna – N1,000,000 Chief Okey Ezeibe – N1,000,000 Chief Godwin Ezemo – N1,000,000 Mr. Oseloka Obaze – N1,000,000 Chief Ifedi Okwena – N1,000,000 Chief Chukwuemeka Eze – N1,000,000 Chief Ike Oligbo – N1,000,000 Mrs Chidi Onyemelukwe – N1,000,000 Barr. Valentine Ayika – N500,000 Mr. Benjy Uba – N500,000 Nze Akachukwu Nwankpo –N500,000
Hon. Chuma Nzeribe – N500,000
Dr. Alex Obiogbolu – N500,000 Others – N4,500,000

Mrs Chidi Onyemelukwe
Chairman, Anambra PDP Palliative Committee.

Barr Okoli Akirika , Secretary, Anambra PDP Palliative Committee.

Other members of the committee

Engr. O G Nwakoby

Engr Ejike Mgbemena

Mrs Ify Nzekwe Chinwuko

Mr Fabian Ilochi

Mr Joe Uzuagu

Mr Charles Anieriobi

Mr Kasie Okoro

Signed by
Hon Sir Ndubuisi Nwobu

Obuka -Awka

PDP Chairman, Anambra State