While many refer to wealth and glory as the abundance of an acquisition, particularly possessions to meet one’s needs, the said narrative may not resonate in with Emeka Okwuosa, who sees wealth as a tool for the impartation of lives. His determination to improve the lives of people can only be experienced rather than explained.
Recently, the oil magnate, Group Chief Executive Officer, Oliserv Group of Companies, who is currently a major contractor handling the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano pipelines of the NNPC, through the instrumentality of his foundation, Sir Emeka Okwuosa Foundation, SEOF, built and dedicated the Christ Church Irefi Oraifite.
The edifice was constructed in memory of his parents the late Pa, Godfrey Egbuniwe, and the late Dame Irene Nneka Mmachukwu at Irefi-Oraifite, Ekwusigo Local Government area, LGA, Anambra State.
Before this, the SEOF had proven itself as a front-runner in the socio-economic development of Orefi-Oraifite and nationwide.
The foundation is focused on facilitating sustainable community development essential for creating long-lasting change.
14 states
The SEOF has and remains impactful in local communities in 14 state, namely Anambra, Adamawa, Borno, Abia, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Ekiti, Abuja, Kaduna, Kogi, Imo and Oyo states.
The provision of healthcare is paramount in the scheme of things for the foundation.
To this end, it established a state-of-the-art hospital that focuses primarily on open-heart surgery in Orefi-Oraifite.
To ensure sustainability and proficiency, the SEOF is partnering with a Texas, U.S-based Vincent Ohalu Obioma Memorial, VOOM, Foundation, to subsidise and provide free healthcare service around the year.
The collaboration has provided over 4,000 free healthcare services to less privileged Nigerians over the years.
In terms of financial commitment, the SEOF has injected a whopping sum of $217,939 on open-heart surgeries for over 34 patients across the country. At the current rate of N754.36 to a dollar, the company would have spent over N164.4 million on its Corporate Social Responsibility program thus far.
For Okwuosa, the journey to this path seemed like a bloodline as similar activities could be traced to his father who also championed some projects for humanity.
He, however, acknowledged that the goal is to render service to God and humanity, which entails giving the best to God.
When asked about his motive recently at his thanksgiving ceremony in Oraifite and the annual Gala night in Lagos, he said, “let us do whatever we are doing to the glory of God and humanity, as we lend ourselves to God, He will use us as a means of blessings to people around us.
“For me, the goal is to render service to God and humanity, which entails giving the best to God because He is deserving of it. It is high time we left all negativity and both the rulers and the ruled should return to God for a better society that we dream of.”
Okwuosa, said he was happy the project was realised in record time, saying, “whatever we are doing as a family today is a testament to our background. We cannot do less in honouring God because He has been faithful to us as a family.”
Fetish activities
Okwuosa hinted that his foundation will soon commence the construction of a skill acquisition training centre opposite the church, and explained that the project was to equip Oraifite people with vocational skills.
“The planned skill acquisition training centre is to reciprocate the gesture by the Irefi families who donated the land where this church is built free,” Okwuosa revealed.
He used the forum to admonish Nigerian youths especially those from the South-East geopolitical zone.
He said: “Nigerian youths should learn to compete with their counterparts across the world.”
In appreciation of Okwuosa’s humanitarian activities, the Founder and CEO of Innoson Motors, Mr. Innocent Chukwuma, described him as a man with a large heart.
According to him, “Okwuosa is a great man with a large heart. This could be seen through the numerous projects carried out by his foundation.”
The Primate Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Most Rev’d. Henry Ndukuba, when dedicating the projects called on elites to imitate the good virtues of the Okwuosas, who have shown no boundaries in uplifting humanity.
His words, “Let us do whatever we are doing to the glory of God and humanity. As we lend ourselves to God, he will use us as a means of blessing to people around us.
“As God has used the Okwuosa family to bless the church, we are also trusting that God through our prayers, and study of the word of God, Nigeria will be blessed.”
Primate Ndukuba, who preached during the dedication service, drew his lesson from Gen.8:20-22, the biblical story of Noah who built an altar and offered a burnt offering to God after surviving the great deluge.
The primate commended the family for not only imbibing the right virtues from their parents but sustaining the same for the good of the church and humanity.
“Apart from what Sir Emeka Okwuosa is doing for the church, he equally built a hospital for heart-related treatment and annually organizes free medical services to Nigerians. We are thankful to God for his gift to the nation,” the Primate added.
Giving
Earlier, Okwuosa, who celebrated its successes recorded since its inception in 2019 said the foundation was built on the principle of giving back.
He said: “Through its education programmes, the foundation has awarded scholarships, and prizes, and provided education tools to over 1,500 primary and secondary school students. And in 2019 it completed the 600-capacity All-Girls Secondary School in Anambra State, which is home to many Nigerian girls.
“The healthcare programmes and accomplishments of the foundation included the facilitation of $217,939 open-heart surgeries for 34 patients ? including one on a nine-month-old infant at the Dame Irene Okwuosa Memorial Hospital (DIOMH) in 2022, and the provision of primary healthcare services to over 566 beneficiaries in the same year.”
Speaking virtually at the event, the President of VOOM, Dr. Vincent Ohaju, Executive Director of VOOM, Shawn Andaya-Pulliam, and Medical Director of Missions of VOOM, Adanna Akujuo, said their partnership with SOEF and the Dame Irene Okwuosa Memorial Hospital would further impact Nigerians in wonderful ways.
Commenting on the partnership, Ohaju, the president of VOOM, stressed the need for more partnerships in the healthcare sector because “most Nigerians cannot afford quality healthcare.”
He expressed happiness over what Okwuosa and his foundation are doing in providing cardiac surgery in Nigeria.
Okwuosa further revealed that some of the socio-economic initiatives the foundation accomplished include the construction of garri processing plants, donation of motorcycles, and the provision of employment and other opportunities.
Since its inception in the 1990s, the foundation said it has impacted Nigerians in over 14 states.
A member of SEOF Board of Trustees, Chibundu Okwuosa-Nwadei, emphasised lifting people and communities has always driven the work they do.
She said: “In the next five years, there are a lot of plans in terms of expansion. In the immediate term, our focus is on sustainability. We want to ensure that we are functioning sustainably before we look to grow and expand to an even bigger level. In terms of sustainability, that means being sustainably funded and making sure that all of our programmes are running sustainably.
“There are many aspects to that as you can imagine. It’s not always the quickest or simplest process to get through. We don’t want to be reliant on just one source of funding so we have started looking at local and international partnerships. We’re now working with a lot more partners than we were before. Our ongoing medical missions now have different partnerships, including with Air Peace when it comes to doctors and other volunteers flying in. We have partnerships with Innoson in terms of cars and one of the ambulances the Hospital has was provided by that company.
“We want to launch some flagship programmes, including the Women Enterprise Program (WEP) that will be targeted at women business owners who need access to things like funding from the right people, knowledge about getting market access, and guidance on how to properly pitch their businesses among others. These are all the things we are working on and committed to actualising in the next few years.”
Vanguard
