In Ukpor, Chief Agbasi and Brother Celebrate Christmas with Villagers

¶ Distribute Bags of Rice, Other Items

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By Izunna Okafor 

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Over one thousand men and women of Mputu Village in Ukpor, Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State, smiled and danced home with bags of rice and other gift items yesterday, as two great philanthropists from the village, Chief Mike Agbasi, popularly known as Ikenga Ukpor, and his brother, Chief Matthew Agbasi, popularly known as Ononenyi 1 of Ukpor, celebrated Christmas with them.

The well-attended event, which held at Chief Agbasi's compound in Mputu, started with merriment and convivial session, during which both the beneficiaries and other stakeholders from the community were treated to sumptuous delicacies and assorted drinks, to breakfast.

The session was intermittently followed by distribution of items to the beneficiaries, starting with heads of various kindreds that make up the village of, and followed by distribution to the women.

Items distributed to the beneficiaries include bags of rice, tins of tomatoes, bags of salts, detergents, wrappers, recharge card of ₦500 each, among other items.

Addressing newsmen, one of the benefactors, Chief Mike Agbasi explained that the event, which they host annually is one of the ways they celebrate Christmas with people of their village and community on a chosen date every December; as well as their way of appreciating God for the year that is ending, with greater expectations for next year.

While revealing that they have been hosting the event for the past forty years now and still counting; Chief Agbasi, who is also the Managing Director of Heritage Group of Companies, further highlighted some other philanthropic works God uses them to do, including paying everybody in the village (aged from seventy and above) life-time salary. 

This, he said, they have been doing since 2003 under the umbrella of the Offordile Agbasi Memorial Foundation, instituted in honour of their late father, Late Chief Offordile Agbasi.

He assured that they would never relent in sustaining those philanthropic works they are doing through the help and grace of God, even as he also advised the beneficiaries to always be generous and help one another in the time of need, irrespective of how little they may have.

On his own part, the other benefactor, Chief Matthew Agbasi, who is also the Managing Director, Makson Oil and Gas explained that they carry out the exercise and other philanthropic works to also also put smile on the faces of their people and to show them how much they love them.

He said, “We do not only share rice to them. In different ways, we equally empower them from time to time to be self-reliant, including the youths among them; any of them who we see is industrious, we give him the necessary support to start up something; all to the glory of God.”

He also encouraged the beneficiaries to keep trusting in God and never to indulge or involve in any illegal, illicit or shameful thing, irrespective the temptations thàt situations may sometimes present to them.

Contributing, the wife of Chief Matthew Agbasi, Lọọlọ̀ Anthonia Agbasi, who also distributed wrappers to all the widows in the village during the event, thanked God for using them to put smile on the faces of others, even as she encouraged the beneficiaries to remain steadfast in the Lord.

In their separate speeches, some stakeholders in the community, Chief Ikenna Amaechi and Barr. Hyacinth Maduagwu commended the uncommon philanthropic gestures of the two brothers, and prayed God to continue to bless and give them the grace and resources to carry on the good work.

Speaking on behalf of other beneficiaries, the head of Umudarafunanya kindred, Mr. Simeon C. Okeke, and the Women Leader in the village, Mrs Augustina Olisakwe described the two brothers and their wives as God-sent, expressed their heartfelt appreciation for their selfless services to humanity, and also appreciated God for blessing them with hearts of giving. 

They testified of other numerous things the two brothers and their wives had done in the past, and advised them not to relent.

Distribution of the items proper, as well as chanting of special solidarity songs by the women, in praise of the benefactors, formed the highpoints of the event.