The Richard Akinnola Foundation has distributed food items and money to widows and children of late journalists and activists.
Akinnola is a Nigerian journalist, author, lawyer, and activist. He was the editor of the Vanguard Newspaper and is an executive director of the Centre for Free Speech organization.
He noted that it was the first phase of the end-of-year party/empowerment for the widows of journalists and activists, which is its 12th-year episode.
In his words: “To God be the glory, we successfully held the first phase of the end-of-year party/empowerment for the widows of journalists and activists. This is our 12th-year episode. The second phase would be for those outside Lagos. This is the only activity we make public. The rest are done behind the scenes. We give God the glory.”
Some of the food items distributed include bags of rich, indomie, toiletries and cash tokens.
Speaking during the presentation of the items in Lagos, Mr. Richard Akinnola said the gesture, which started about 13 years ago, will be extended to widows of late journalists and activists outside Lagos.
Akinnola said: “This year’s empowerment is special because we have decided to extend the gesture to widows and children of late journalists and activists outside Lagos. It has not been easy sustaining the programme, especially with the economic hardship in the country but we will continue to do our best to put a smile on the faces of widows and children of late journalists and activists in the country.
“Everyday journalists and activists struggle to beat deadlines to keep ahead of their job. They rarely find time to rest, which is not good. Stress and exhaustion is now major killer, and we advise that every journalist and activist must find time to rest.”
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Widows of journalists, who were killed in a ghastly auto crash on Ilesa- Ife expressway on August 2, 2013, during a Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, assignment, yesterday, received the cash sum of N200,000 each from the Richard Akinnola Foundation.
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