Top Dignitaries To Grace The Witness Newspaper Foundation Launch

The Witness Newspaper Foundation will be launched by Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Former Delta State Governor, Southern Nigeria, Emmanuel Uduaghan, Lagos State House Of Assembly Speaker, Mudasiru Obasa, NNPC GMD, Mele Kyari, and others.

In honor of its fourth year anniversary, The Witness, a legitimate Nigerian newspaper in both digital and print versions, is launching a non-governmental organization called ‘The Witness Newspaper Foundation.’

On Sunday, October 24th, 2021, the event will be place at the famous Lagos Continental Hotel (previously Intercontinental Hotel), Victoria Island, Lagos.

The managing director of the newspaper, Mr. Julius Akpovire-Enyeh, in a statement stated that the foundation which is the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of newspaper will focus on enhancing the education, health and empowerment of the less-privileged and vulnerable children, youths, widows and the aged in the society.

The statement read in part, “Today, there are many children and youths who have dropped out of school due to lack of adequate support; there are a lot of less-privileged widows and the aged who are yearning for help.

“As a responsible organisation, we aim to ameliorate the pains of these individuals and in turn contribute to nation building.

“The underprivileged widows and their vulnerable children constitute a significant component of every country’s population.

“Available statistics show that Nigeria has over eight million disadvantaged widows with over 21 million children. Many are stigmatised and blamed for their husband’s death and displaced from their marital homes.

“The aged constitute 5.2 per cent of Nigeria’s population and the figure is expected to hit 6 per cent by 2025. But it’s sad that in 61 years of independence from colonial administration, Nigeria is yet to enact a national policy on the care and welfare of older persons.

“The rate at which the elderly are dying in the society as a result of inadequate healthcare and poverty is alarming and embarrassing to the country.

“The foundation will also tackle poverty and empower less-privileged youths.

“Although Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil exporter with the largest natural gas reserves on the continent, it was reported by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2019 to have 83 million people living below the nation’s poverty line. Still, unemployment and underemployment are on the increase.”

The chief host of the event is Sanwo-Olu while Uduaghan, is the chairman of the occasion.

Among the other expected dignitaries are Mr. Patrick Akinwuntan, managing director, Ecobank Nigeria Limited; Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director-general/CEO, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Adaeze Udensi, executive director, Titan Trust Bank Limited and Dr. Victor Adoji, a former senatorial candidate and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Witness was founded in October 2017, with the mission of bringing its readers accurate and reliable information without bias, about happenings within the nation and abroad.