APC chieftain empowers aged citizens, physically challenged

APC

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Mr. Makinde Araoye, yesterday empowered 500 indigent senior citizens and physically challenged persons drawn from six councils in Ekiti South Senatorial district with N5million cash.
 
The beneficiaries, who hail from Ekiti East, Gbonyin, Emure, Ise/Orun, Ekiti South/West and Ikere Councils, got N10, 000 each.
  
Araoye, who was later presented with an award as the Oluomo of Ekiti South by the executives of APC youths in the district, also distributed 500 bags of rice to augment the cash given to the beneficiaries.

Speaking at the event, Araoye said he started the programme about eight years ago, as he felt the need to giving back to society by ameliorating hunger and sufferings of the less-privileged and the aged, especially widows and widowers, who do not have employed children to cater for their needs.
 
He charged all party members at the event to support whoever emerge as APC governorship candidate next year to ensure that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was voted out of the state.
 
He stated: “I started by giving out scholarship to students across Ekiti South Senatorial District. When the government of Governor Kayode Fayemi came, he started paying stipends to the elderly people. I had a meeting with him that I would like to support the programme and I started mine from my ward before it was finally extended to the entire south senatorial districts, comprising six local government areas.

"The motive is to assist and empower the less privileged, focusing majorly on widows and widowers who are aged and do not have husbands or wives or children that are gainfully employed.

“The programme cut across the entire six councils in Ekiti South and we are rotating it. We have done in Emure, Ekiti South West, and today is the turn of Ikere, while we proceed to Ise/Orun after this.  
 
“I believe it is not until when you want to contest for electoral positions that you can do something like this. I have never sat with anyone to discuss any political ambition; the programme is purely humanitarian.

“I don’t have big money, but the little God has given me, I chose to give back to society by extending to the less privilege.”

Decorating Araoye with the title, the party’s youth leader in the district, Sikiru Daramola, said Araoye was bestowed with the award in recognition of his contribution to humanity and amelioration of poverty among youths in the district.