The Senator representing Abia North at the National Assembly, Orji Uzor Kalu, said his philanthropy through food items and cash to his people is not because of politics, pledging to sustain it.
Senator Kalu handed down this assurance Saturday in his Igbere community, in Bende local Government Area of Abia State.
The annual Yuletide gesture, he said, was initiated in 1986 prior to his sojourn into politics, stating that the sustenance of the exercise proves that it was not politically motivated.
Kalu said despite initially distributing food and cash to the community to celebrate the annual Igbere cultural festival, he will continue with such a gesture for the Yuletide.
The gesture involved 13 benefiting villages, comprising about 30,000 people, who live like “one big family” where no one is allowed to go hungry.
Speaking during the occasion, Kalu said “I urge you all to be your brother’s keeper and be aware that these items are not for the traditional rulers as I have a separate package for them”.
Kalu, who is the Senate Committee Chairman on Privatisation, said the gesture will support the food security programme of the Federal Government, adding “It will also cushion the effects of the economic hardship on the people”.
Responding on behalf of others, a youth leader in the area, Chimuanya Onwubiko, described the senator as “God sent” and thanked him for his zeal to sustain the over 30-year-old initiative.
Onwubiko said: “We won’t take these generous gestures for granted as words cannot describe how happy we are over his legacy.
“It is a magnanimous show of love beyond politics which shows that he truly loves us and we also love him.
“He has brought infrastructure and empowerment to the community right from his governorship days and has continued to add value to our lives.”
. TheWitness
