- Ms Agnes Manafa has being living in dilapidated mud house for over a decade
- Anambra born journalist, Dr. Innocent Okonkwo took a bull by horn and built four room bungalow for Ms Manafa
- Okonkwo appealed to the well meaning Nigerians to lend their helping hands to the poor in the society
In a society where the rich are known for oppression of the poor, an Anambra-born journalist has has decided to toe a different line and built a four bedroom bungalow for a childless widow.
Dr. Innocent Okonknwo who also hails from Aguleri community in Anambra and Founder/Publisher of Ogene Media Team, OMT, an online media outfit displayed this philanthropic gesture when he saw that the childless aged woman has lost roof over her head.
In an exclusive media chat with our reporter, Dr. Okonkwo narrated that “Aunty Agnes Manafa was living in a dilapidated mud house.
She is from Igboezunu Aguleri, childless and of age. She usually asked me for money to repair her leaking roof. At a point she said the carpenters were afraid to climb the weak mud house”.
Explaining how he summoned up courage to embark on such capital intensive at this critical moment of economy, Dr. Okonkwo stated that “when I estimated the cost of small room and parlour self contained, it was over 2 million naira to finish it.
“I decided to use the money to raise 4 rooms and parlour and roof just a portion for her to stay for a while. After raising the building. I was lucky to sell a property that had been in the market for years, so I used part of the proceeds to roof the whole house instead of the early arrangement to just roof a portion for her.
“Again, after roofing, I decided to just plaster one room for her but in the process, another money came in and I decided to plaster the whole building. My brother, that was how I continued till the house was painted last week. I have demolished the dilapidated house and she happily packed in.”
Asked what gave him the motivation to build a house for a childless old woman who he barely know, Okonkwo narrated that “some months ago she told me how she pleaded with her neighbor to accommodate her during rainy season but the neighbor refused on the ground that she was expecting Abakiliki labourers to live there during farming season. I asked myself how can a sane human refuse giving a fellow like this childless widow such a help for such flimsy reason? That was what gave me the motivation to erect this apartment for her. I hate seeing people suffering when I can render help to them.”
On how long the woman has lived in such dilapidated building, he stated that “she had lived there for over 20 years, although it was not that bad earlier but it kept depreciating every year.”
Asked how much he spent on building the house, Okonkwo said that it gulped up to N12m though he didn’t put all the expenses he incurred in black and white. He also explained that it took him about one and half years to erect the apartment.
“It may interest you to know that I am also a real estate developer. I had to sell some of my landed property in some areas in order to raise money to finish this building.”
However, expressing her gratitude, the beneficiary, Agnes Manafa told WITHIN NIGERIA that she lacked proper words to describe how happy she has being over the philanthropic gesture of Dr. Okonkwo.
According to her, ” honestly, I didn’t know that such person like Dr. Okonkwo still exists in this country.”
Narrating her ordeal before the apartment was erected for her, Ms Manafa explained that “before now, every reason was a terrible season for me. Some times, I lost my food, clothes and other valuables to rainfalls which usually drenched my rooms.
“At night during rainy season, I usually didn’t sleep because my roof was leaking. I have asked my neighbors to accommodate during rainy seasons but they have refused. I don’t know how to thank Dr. Innocent Okonkwo for this gesture but I pray God to continue to bless him for me.”
In any case, Dr. Innocent Okonknwo asked good spirited persons in the society who are financially well to do to help the poor by engaging in one philanthropic gesture or the other.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that the four bedroom bungalow contains three toilets and bathrooms, one sitting rooms, one kitchen and sit-out.