Jonathan wants humanitarian efforts to quicken development

*Applauds NGO’s flood intervention in Bayelsa

Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Saturday, called on Nigerians to support and participate in humanitarian services to actualise developmental aspirations.

Jonathan spoke at the 10th anniversary of the Goldcoast Developmental Foundation (GDF) in Yenagoa.

He said humanitarian services would make the people contribute meaningfully to the growth of society.

The former President, who was represented by Amayanabo of Twon-Brass, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, lauded the foundation initiated by Mr Moses Dickson, a younger brother to immediate past Governor of Bayelsa Sen. Henry Seriake Dickson.

Describing the achievements of the foundation in 10 years as remarkable, Jonathan commended the founders, partners and management of GDF for their selfless service to humanity.

He added that the foundation’s interventions in health, education and strategic youth development were worthy of recommendations and emulation.

Addressing the management of GDF, he said: “Your impact in your focus areas of health, education and strategic youth development are worthy of recommendation. I encouraged you to continue in this worthy venture of service to humanity.

“Initiatives like the Goldcoast Developmental Foundation, which plays a contributory role to government in providing various services are needed more than ever to meet our developmental aspiration.

“This is why we call on well-meaning citizens to support and participate in humanitarian services in different spheres.

“This is one way to make ourselves relevant and contribute meaningfully to the growth of society. Let me again congratulate the founder, partners and volunteers of Goldcoast for sustaining the legacy of Mama Goldcoast within the last 10 years.”

In his remarks, Gov Douye Diri, who was represented by the Commissioner for Information, Ayuba Duba, called on people to emulate the virtues of the foundation’s founder, Dickson.

Diri said: “He has kept this vision alive for a decade, if you cannot encourage him, don’t kill it. We are calling on the young ones to emulate Barr. Moses Oruaze Dickson.

“This is not the only family where we have mothers but the thought of doing what he has done is a wonderful thing.

“I want to encourage you, please don’t rest on your oars. Your government as you know will always stand by you. You did a wonderful job partnering with the many people, NGOs and even the government during the flood, I was a witness to what you did and I want to encourage you to keep doing more.”

Also, former governor Dickson and Senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District explained that the Goldcoast foundation was purely the brainchild of his younger brother, Moses Dickson.

He commended the humanitarian and selfless services of the foundation during the recent flood and thanked Moses for sustaining the initiative over the past 10 years.

Dickson said: “This is my younger brother’s baby and I received the invitation for this programme just the same way most of you did.

“I remember seeing clips of what this foundation has been doing over the years and this foundation remains dear to my heart and the hearts of my family because it bears the golden name of our late mother whose memory will continue to remain evergreen in our minds and in our hearts.

“I have seen my younger brother and some members of his team embarking on acts of charity, sometimes in my community, sometimes in Yenagoa, other times in Delta especially in Angiama; my late mother’s home where she is laid to rest.

“Recently, when this major, terrible flood came and destroyed our homes and our businesses and our livelihoods and sacked communities and families, I saw clips of what my younger brother and his people have been doing in the name of this foundation.

“When he invited me to this occasion, I had my doubts and to come at this day and within the festive period, leaders of our state, leaders of our people, leaders of the government joining him and all of you here in this distinguished audience to give support to this young man, l lack the words to thank you, people.

“The president of the foundation and his team have done well and deserve support. Starting small, they managed to keep this dream going for 10 years. So, I thought I should as part of my goodwill message, commend him, congratulate him for having to push this dream thus far and still not relenting.”

Earlier, the founder of GDF, Moses, in his remark said that the foundation is celebrating its 10th anniversary of impacting lives with the theme, “Service to Humanity, Touching One Life at a Time”.

He explained that the initiative was designed to meet the needs of the people in key areas such as health, education and strategic youth development.

Moses said the foundation had been able to touch the lives of about 8000 persons across various age groups within the Niger Delta.

He said: “About 3,798 were women 1,974 were men and the rest of them were children. And by the grace of God within that same period, we carried out a total of 31 projects and the last one we did was that of setting up a temporary shelter to cater for nursing mothers that formed the bulk of the most vulnerable group of persons that were affected by the flood. Most of these people do not have anywhere to go.

“In the coming years, we are going to focus on health programmes especially cancer awareness and management, kidney and other primary health care projects to support the existing government programme. In education, we will focus on building the Trust we already established with FCMB Trustees Ltd to support the beneficiaries up to the first degree in the university.

“We will also support some adult education projects in addition to bigger organizations to give grants and scholarships to the beneficiaries. In strategic youth Development, we will set up sustainable rolling funds to support small businesses and also carry out other empowerment projects.

“In doing this we know we cannot do it alone, so we call on you, our partners, our volunteers, and our donors to join us once again to contribute to these projects so that tomorrow, we should be able to have persons far bigger than us.”

He also solicited the support of the partners, volunteers and donors to join in the efforts to raise capital for some of the women who were displaced by the floods and taken refuge in the temporary shelter home set up by the foundation.

“At the end of the shelter home project that we did, we noticed that most of the women not only were they displaced by the flood but they had nowhere else to go even after the flood with their sources of livelihoods wiped out, Moses said.

The Coordinator GDF, Brenda Izu, said the foundation was established in 2012 to touch lives through selfless service to humanity within their core programme areas of health, education and strategic youth development in Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta.

The highlight of the occasion was the inauguration of the Trust Fund and the presentation of awards to partners, donors and individuals who dedicated their gift of time, expertise and resources to the charity over the past 10 years.