The Confluence Doctors Multipurpose Cooperative Society at the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Lokoja, has empowered 12 vulnerable widows with cash awards and offered scholarships to 15 pupils in schools in Kogi.
The organization is the cooperative arm of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) at the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Lokoja.
Addressing newsmen at the event in Lokoja, the President of the Cooperative, Dr. Abimbola Odi, said the gesture was to support the vulnerable in society to alleviate their suffering and improve their well-being.
According to her, a total of 12 widows received a sum of N15,000 each in the cooperative’s Widow Support Fund Program to enable them to start or boost their existing businesses and improve their well-being.
“This is the fourth Widows’ Support Fund Program we are having to help the vulnerable widows in the state,” Odi said.
She added that the cooperative had also awarded scholarships with cash gifts to 15 pupils from five different classes ranging from Primary 2 to 6 at LGEA Primary School Serki-Noma, Lokoja, under its Scholarship Scheme for Academic Excellence.
She said the pupils were those who emerged as the top three of their various classes at the end of the 2022/2023 session.
She said the first, second, and third positions in each class got N10,000, N7,000, and N5,000, respectively.
She explained that reaching vulnerable widows and children to get them educated were part of the aspects of the cooperative.
Odi stressed that the initiative was part of the cooperative’s humanitarian program to ease the current economic hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.
Odi disclosed that the cooperative had also given scholarships to pupils at LGEA Primary School, Lokongoma, last year.
She emphasized that the gesture made the parents happy, and pupils were impacted, encouraged to do better in their academics.
“We realized that a lot of children suffered within the state and were not able to go to school due to the inability to afford tuition fees as low as N2000.
“So, we decided to help the vulnerable pupils to encourage them to attend classes and be serious in their academics,” she said.
One of the widows who spoke on behalf of others, Mrs. Christiana Akinsulu, thanked the association for the gesture, saying it would go a long way in alleviating their suffering, especially during these hard times.
“We are very grateful to the cooperative for alleviating our suffering and improving our well-being as vulnerable widows. May God bless them,” Akinsulu prayed.
The Headteacher of the school, Mr. Lawal Dogara, appreciated the association for the scholarship and for the choice of their school.
The Headteacher emphasized that the scholarship would help to motivate other pupils to be serious in their academics and study hard.
“I am very grateful and overwhelmed by the gesture towards our pupils. We pray that God will bless and protect the association,” Dogara said.
