Emerging stormy petrel of Enugu politics, Prince Ofor Chukwuegbo, stunned his guests when he gave out gifts of mini- buses to five persons, including two of his personal drivers.
An event that was billed to be a routine one- year anniversary of Teamofor Keep Fit Club, an offshoot of his political machinery, dedicated to healthy living through regular exercises, turned into a carnival of sorts as wild celebrations erupted following announcement of the unexpected largesse to the low cadre staff and some longstanding associates “in difficult times”.
Beneficiaries included the family of one of his drivers who was killed by unknown gunmen in the run- in to the last general elections, which Hon.Chukwuegbo eventually lost.
Mr. Umebeh, his chief driver, and a much younger driver, Mr. Nnaji, who also drove his late father in his lifetime, all got rewarded with a minibus each.
Each bus is estimated to cost around N 2 million.
The other beneficiaries included a local political activist, Chinonso Agbo, a.k.a.Titanic, who had deployed personal resources and facilities to campaign for Hon.Ofor in one of his previous electioneering campaigns.
The politician who lost his bid to return to the House of Representatives in the January 2023 general elections, told the gathering he does not take genuine loyalty for granted.
He also told them he hated to see people suffering around him when he could do something to alleviate their plight.
He said all those whom he rewarded with vehicles meant different things to him and had touched his life in different ways at different times, some dating back over 20 years ago.
His philanthropic gesture instantly caught on with some of the dignitaries at the event, who made additional donations of cash to the beneficiaries to help them tide over and maximise the opportunity presented by the bus gifts to become business owners
Aviator and owner of Odengene Air Shuttle Services(OAS) Helicopters, Captain Everest Nnaji, made a personal donation of N5million as chief guest of honour.
Other dignitaries, donated various sums of money, with specific additional financial support for beneficiaries of Ofor’s bus gifts, to help them launch out as business owners
Prince Chukwuegbo has carved out a reputation as a generous politician. At a time around 2015, he gave out some 22 saloon cars to political associates even after he had lost his bid to return to the lower chamber of the national assembly, after first tenure.
He returned to the house in 2019, but his return bid was scuttled by the ‘Peter Obi tsunami’ in the South East early this year.
He constantly lifts youths and women of his his Enugu North and South constituency, out of poverty through empowerment programs, even out of season …
