By: Ike Philip Abiagom
Philanthropy is an integral part of humanity. They are those who open their hands for others. Some philanthropists are garrulous with their deeds, others play their cards silently. Pastor Idowu Okeze, the founder of Obi Nwaokocha Okeze Foundation is in this class. Pastor Okeze is a man of good deeds. Not many Nigerians know this about him. Over the years, he has managed to keep his charitable works away from public space, especially the media. It’s the stuff of genuine philanthropists; those who give as a matter of empathy, and not on the basis of public acclamation or to be celebrated by men usually with vainglorious titles and societal epaulets as reward.
Okeze’s charity works are divinely propelled and driven by his belief that it is in giving that we receive. His zero celebration of his philanthropy is premised on his immovable faith that only God can truly reward those who give bread to the hungry and water to the thirsty. Though a proud son of Igbuzo, his charity works extend beyond the primordial boundaries of religion and ethnicity. To him, humanity is one. And the inside of a hungry child is the same, irrespective of race, religion or ethnic nationality. When want and destitution strip a people to their bones, they are the same colour in the dark; they bear the same pain in their bodies and equal measure of emotional torture.
Idowu Okeze understands this and he has taken to the noble path of philanthropy just to add a veneer of smile to the faces of the abandoned and broken children. And he does this without recourse to ethnic configuration of the beneficiaries of his gesture or their religion. In a country where some persons, especially public officers and those seeking public positions, give for what they can get, Okeze gives without expecting.
Without doubt, Pastor Idowu Daniel Okeze needs no introduction in the social circles in Igbuzo,Oshimili North and beyond. Pastor Okeze has left his footprints in the sand of time through his innumerable people-oriented programs and projects . He has love for humanity and thus his well-intentioned act of philanthropy goes beyond the shores of Nigeria.
Pastor Idowu Okeze has provided his people from Ibusa in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State with several essential amenities such as water,Transformers,fencing of Schools,Empowerments of Youths,Solar light and Roads lacking in particular areas in his community. He single-handedly sponsored the drilling of boreholes at various locations in Ibusa-Oshimili North local government areas and went further to resuscitate some damage roads in Igbuzo.
Pastor Idowu Okeze also pays hospital bills for many, establishes businesses and sponsors people in various vocational training like plumbing, hairdressing, tailoring, motor parts dealership, solar panels and CCTV installation. Most of the beneficiaries are Youths, widows and orphans. He has empowered both Igbuzo indigens and non-indigenes with over two thousand tricycles (KEKE) for commercial use.
Pastor Idowu Okeze also sponsored the enrollment of 1000 indigent and vulnerable Ibusa indigenes into the informal sector category of the Health scheme of Delta State Contributory Health Commission insurance premium by paying #7000 (Seven Thousand Naira Only) per person and the One thousand persons in Ibusa were given access health care card for one full year, free of charge. This is the first of its kind where indigent enrollees who are vulnerable are adopted by a philanthropist with passion to save life.
Okeze, who is so passionate about his people and their development has attracted Multi-Million naira projects into his community’s development, to the point that his community Ibusa in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State has witnessed a huge transformation to a giant, well-developed town which boasts of a world standard FREE Asthma Hospital called CIDO Asthma Foundation(Free Asthma Patients Hospital).This level of philanthropy is totally unknown not only in this part of the world but worldwide. For a man to take up the provision of infrastructure – roads, primary and secondary schools, building of churches of different denominations, Donation of Police Patrol vehicle, houses for the poor, water and electricity and perhaps most important, a health institution (Free Asthma Patients Hospital)for his own people is probably the height of giving.
With unwavering dedication, he has leveraged his wealth to make a profound impact on the lives of countless Nigerians.
Okeze’s philanthropy extends across various sectors, from healthcare, education, to poverty alleviation, facilitated the construction of schools, the provision of scholarships, hospitals, fostering a tangible and lasting positive change in Ibusa.
Okeze’s commitment to social betterment transcends mere charity; it reflects a deep-rooted belief in the transformative power of targeted benevolence, inspiring others to join in the noble pursuit of uplifting communities and fostering sustainable development.
For him, there is just no limit to what he can do to save lives, give people succour and put similes on their faces.
