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An industrialist, Chief Engr. Grant Offor, recently brought succor to the people of Umuagubia and Umuolo communities in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers, when he presented the two ancient communities with two giant transformers.
In a chat with newsmen later in Port Harcourt, Offor said he decided to provide the transformers to the two communities, which had been in darkness till now, so that young people who operate barbering or hair dressing saloons in the communities could be saved the agony of daily buying petrol and fueling generators for their business.
He noted that the money saved from this could be ploughed back into their business for expansion, while also creating job opportunities for other young people in the area.
Engr. Offor added that this became necessary given that state and local governments alone cannot create the needed jobs for youths in the communities.
“Imagine most of the shops in the communities were no longer functioning optimally, because there are no electricity to empower their refrigerators to cool their drinks for their customers.
“In electrifying the communities, I was looking at economic benefits it could bring to the entire population of the communities like job creation and human empowerment.
“For 3 years, the people of the communities have been praying for God to raise someone to provide electricity for the area. It got to the point that Umuagabia daughters started fasting and praying with a prayer point, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us,’ all unknown to me.
“But just one fine day I had a feeling to change the narrative in the communities concerned,” he said.
Engr. Offor, aside from the transformers, went further to install street lights in Omagwa town, pointing out that this was necessary “considering the fact that the town is wearing an urban outlook with a rapidly increasing population.”
He said: “I decided to fix all these infrastructures in place because I saw the business in the area were down with no meaningful thing for the youths to do. The electricity would certainly help these ones who engage in small scale businesses not to be out of work.
“My perspective in providing this infrastructural development is for economic growth in the communities,” he said.
According to our correspondent, Engr. Offor further constructed several internal roads as well as town hall in Omagwa “to make life easier for his people.”
Our correspondent also said Engr. Offor has been honoured with several chieftaincy titles by the chiefs and elders of his community in appreciation for his unprecedented philanthropic gesture to his people, while a source within the community adds that “yet he (Offor) appears very humble and never carry his shoulders high.”
