Tony Udemba
Members of Helping Hands International Concept (H2i) from various parts of Nigeria and Africa recently gathered at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Festac Town, Lagos, for the organisation’s fourth anniversary and mega awards ceremony.
Members came from countries like Togo, Benin Republic, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Cameroun, Kenya, DR Congo and South Africa.
The event was organised to reward deserving members who had performed excellently in supporting the group’s efforts in carrying out empowerment programmes to the benefit of ordinary people. The event featured performances by kids and other cultural troupes. Music star, African China, also thrilled the guests.
Ambassador Emmanuel Obioma Ngoka, chairman, Helping Hands International Concept, said the large crowd was a reflection of the immense confidence that the people had in the organisation, as well as the huge impact being recorded by its numerous people-oriented programmes.
He noted that, over the years, the organisation has continued to empower ordinary people in society through its skills-acquisition training, free medical outreach and treatment within Nigeria and overseas, educational scholarships, donation of medicine, clothes and food to charity homes and internally displaced people’s (IDPs) camps. He said the organisation also empowers its members, whom he referred to as help partners, with free skills-acquisition training. The chairman noted that, since the commencement of the group’s operations in Nigeria in the past four years, over 10,000 people have benefitted from its various programmes.
Obioma said that the staying power of the organisation was due to the strong commitment of its leadership and membership to the fulfilment of its goals of providing life-changing empowerment programmes and various welfare initiatives to ordinary people, as well as its sincerity in appreciating and empowering its members.
He expressed confidence that the organisation would spread beyond its presence in 17 African nations at the moment to all the countries in Africa within the next few years.
The major highlight of the event was the conferment of various categories of awards on some individuals as well as the donation of new cars to members.
Among those honoured were some lawmakers, including Rita Orji (member of House of Representatives), Senator Dangana Nyadako and Diden Michael (member, Delta State House of Assembly).
Also honoured were Nollywood stars, Zack Orji , Paul Obazele, Lilian Bach and Jennifer Eliogu. Other awardees were Hon. Khalifa Abdulraman, Mohammed Hammawa, Mr. Ogbeide Kingsley and Alhaji Hassan Ahmedi.
In his speech while receiving his award, Senator Nyadako applauded the organisation for honouring him, and also for its numerous empowerment initiatives for the less privileged in society. He pledged to always support the organisation.
Mrs. Ngozi Orji, who received the award on behalf of her husband, Zack Orji, expressed gratitude to the organisation, just as she commended the members for their efforts at providing skills acquisition programmes and other humanitarian initiatives to the downtrodden.
On his part, Nollywood actor and producer, Obazele, congratulated the organisation on its fourth anniversary and for extending recognition to him and others in the film industry.
While 40 members received brand new cars, 21 others opted for the cash equivalent.
Nnaemaka Nnamoko, who got a car, told Daily Sun that he was full of joy. He said the reward would ginger him and other recipients to work harder in supporting and promoting the various initiatives of the organisation. He described H2i as an organisation with passion for the empowerment of the less privileged. Nnamoko commended the leadership role of Emmanuel Obioma, adding that his life has changed for the better since he joined the organisation some years ago.