Emotion, encomium, flood inaugural Felix King Food Day, as tons of food stuff, millions of Naira were given to 100 widows in Lagos

 On December 12, 2017, a day set aside as Felix King Food Day by the board and management of Felix King Foundation, one hundred Nigerian widows from Lagos and Ogun States, sang praises endlessly, as King donate tens of thousands of tons of food stuff and one million naira to them for the yuletide in Ikeja, Lagos.

Felix King Foundation, a pro widow a not for profit organisation has in the past empowered and ameliorated the plight of the Nigerian widows in Lagos, Ogun and Edo States.

Furtherance to its previous pro-widows’ initiatives, the Foundation management said that every Tuesday after Shiloh and Holy Ghost Congress of every year has been set aside as Felix King Food Day (FK FOOD DAY) for widows, and this year’s programme took place on 12th December, 2017.

Therefore, on Tuesday December 12 2017, hundred bags of 50KG rice, 100 bags of 25KG beans, hundred kegs of 15litres vegetable oil and the sum of N1miillion, were given out to hundred widows pre-registered before the event.

The beneficiaries were between the ages 55 years and above and the cut across Lagos and Ogun States.

The Founder/President of Felix King Foundation, Felix King said, “last week, we started with Police widows but we have to make it all encompassing this year.

“The selection of the 100 widows was done 2 weeks ago and all were pre-registered through online and offline registrations by our team.”

He said food stuff and cash are distributed to beneficiaries based on this preregistration list.

Besides, distribution of food stuff and cash that would make the yuletide season pleasurable for these downtrodden widows, the Foundation also conducted medical examination on the widows and promised to treat any widow with health challenge free of charge.

King said, “The health workers will examine you and if they find any situation that is not good, you will be given a card and be directed to a hospital. Through this card, you will be treated free of charge,” he said. On

Checks on blood pressure, and other medical challenges were done.

Widows were singing praises to God while thanking the Foundation and its founder for putting smiles on their faces.

Mrs. Victoria Ozomaro, a beneficiary said, “I have never seen something like this. An individual, singlehandedly done this for us, we give God the glory,” she enthused.

Ozomaro encouraged other Nigerians to follow the footstep of Felix King to carter for the widows in the communities. “Nigerians should see widows as part of the society and carter for them appropriately. No woman wants to be a widow,” she pleaded.

Another beneficiary, Mrs. Georgelin Ugwuezi thanked King for his kind gesture towards the widow. She pleaded with the government to make laws that will help ameliorate the suffering of the widows particularly in the rural communities.

“We are calling on government in all levels to look at this plight of widows and make laws that will stop their maltreatment by the husband immediate families. Several widows are suffering today because of denial, deprivation and wrongful accusation by the communities,” Ugwuezi said.

Meanwhile, a beneficiary of the Felix King Food Day initiative, Mrs. Jumoke Sunny urged government to create an enlightenment campaign that will aid the discrimination widows in the society especially those wrongfully accused to have killed their husbands.

She prayed that God continues to empower Felix king so that he will continue to empower the less privileged in the society.

In October this year, Felix King was awarded with Nigeria Youth Advocacy for Good Governance Initiative (NYAGGI) through the foundation laudable initiatives to ameliorate the plight of widows across the country.

Presenting the awards, Mr. Alabi Akeem Abiodun, National Coordinator, of NYAGGI said the foundation’s activities towards improving the living condition of the widows through empowerment schemes such as business grants, social welfare project as well as educational grant towards widows’ wards was highly commendable.

Last month, the Foundation empowered 30 widows of Army personnel, who lost their life fighting insurgency, through business start-ups.

Same gesture was first extended to the police officers’ widows late last year,

In April this year, Felix King Foundation introduced WIFARM AID for widows initiative in Edo state, where widows were empowered with grants and farming implements.

King believes that relieving widows of the burdens the society placed on them requires the methodical empowerment of women and widows by not giving handouts but by placing in their hands, skills and tools for economic independence.

While announcing the programme in Benin-City, he said this tool is in agriculture, specifically for the widows in the most vulnerable social bracket. “We are aware of the huge potential that Nigeria has in agriculture and the roles women have played at family unit levels towards ensuring food sufficiency,” he stated. “At the subsistence level, farming has enabled many families survive. And semi-mechanized levels, it has, and still, helping a significant number break the vicious poverty to education and then prosperity.

Felix King Foundation launched Abolish Widows Maltreatment in Edo State early in the year by bringing succour to 96 widows in the State when he handed over to them as start up funds in form of business grant.

According to King, subjecting widows to hardship and disinheriting them is counter-productive.

He said, “We are trapped by the patriarchal dogma and superstition that tend to lower the status and welfare of widows in particular and women as a whole. We are providing business support grants and skill acquisition to 96 widows in Edo state at the ratio of three widows per constituency and the remaining numbers to be selected by Edo state Widows’ Association.

“I believe every woman deserves the right to liberty and the right to succeed. It is with this belief we will introduce the freedom campaign for widows using the #Abolishwidowsmaltreatment #with the coin of liberty as a symbol.”

King however said that charitable giving is a pillar in which Felix King Foundation is built and “we are always hopeful for the impact this will continue to have on widows.”