The community development association of  Ubulu-Uku indigenes living in the United States of America, Ubulu-Uku USA (UUU), has distributed food items as palliatives in their hometown in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria.

Representatives of the association were on hand weekend to distribute the items which included 180 bags of 50kg rice. The food items were given out to about 20 quarters in the community through their representatives. Each quarter had representatives from the Diokpa, who is the leader of the quarter and a representative of the youths.

The association led by Mr. Michael Eboka had set up a home palliatives committee that liaised with them in diaspora to oversee the distribution.

Speaking to the representatives of the various quarters before the sharing commenced, Mr. Anthony Awunor, who read an address on behalf of UUU president said, “On behalf of the UUU Executives and members of Ubulu-Uku USA (UUU) Association, we wish to welcome all the Diokpa’s from Ubulu-Uku various villages/quarters, youth leaders, members of the press, our home town UUU Palliative Committee members and indeed everyone present here today.

“Ubulu-Uku USA (UUU) Association members residing in the United States of America are proud to present these 180 bags of rice palliative for the benefit of all Ubulu-Uku community as a way to show our support and encouragement during this precarious Corona Virus (COVID-19) Pandemic Government mandated shutter-at-home period. We know that these are challenging times around the globe and just want to do our little bit to let you all know that we are here to assist as much as we can to lessen the burden for our community.”

Since its inception in 2004 by a group of Ubulu-Uku illustrious sons and daughters in America who came together in Dallas, the organisation has continued to grow from strength to strength.

Between the year 2005 and 2007, UUU completed a classroom block worth over N15 million and donated to Anglican Grammar School Ubulu-Uku.

In 2013, the association continued to blaze the trail by donating school bag back packs to all the secondary school students in Ubulu-Uku.

Moved by the epileptic electricity situation in Ubulu-Uku and how it affects medicare, Ubulu-Uku USA (UUU) raised funds to install a brand new transformer and connected a 33KVA line from the national grid to Ubulu-Uku General Hospital. The 60-bed capacity General Hospital which was attracted by an illustrious daughter of Ubulu-Uku, Hon. Mrs. Joan Onyemaechi Mrakpor, during her time as the member representing Aniocha South Constituency at the Delta State House of Assembly, was built with staff quarters, water treatment plant, standby power generating set, ambulance and a brand new Toyota Hilux as utility vehicle for the doctor and medical staff. However, the power generating set was stolen, leaving the health facility in darkness during power outage until the intervention of UUU.

The community development association has also recorded success in the area of education where it has awarded tertiary education scholarship to one Miss Nancy Odinakachukwu, who is a student at the University of Benin.  UUU has provided full tuition and accommodation to the tune of N200,000.00 to the student in the course of the past two years.

They have also made a commitment to continue identifying promising young people in the community to benefit from the scholarship programme.

In the speech, the President called for synergy with other development groups and asked Ubulu-Uku people to continue to put them in prayers, even as their host country battles the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic.

“We ask that you continue to pray for us so that those of us in the diaspora will never forget where we come from.  We are inviting other relevant organizations both here and abroad to join us in addressing some of the on-going pressing issues in our community and surrounding areas.”

In the area of the security challenges confronting the town, they pledged support for the community vigilante group.

“We are very grateful to the vigilante groups that have been working tirelessly to confront the security issues that have become a torn in our flesh in and around Ubulu-Uku. UUU will like to assure our vigilance agents that we will continue to leave no stones unturned in searching for meaningful ways to support their efforts on ground.”

Eboka thanked those who have provided support to the community in one way or the other, pointing out that the palliatives are meant for the vulnerable and less privileged.

“We also would like to recognize and applaud the efforts of all those who have already provided palliatives so far and at the same time we appeal to our other brothers and sisters to continue to assist our struggling town by delivering meaningful projects to our community. We are all in this together!

“All we ask is for those of you who will be tasked with sharing this palliative, to be judicious and fair minded with distributing this rice gift, and to take care of as many people as possible but especially the most vulnerable and less privileged in our mist and home town.”