Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
To demonstrate the spirit of the Yuletide, Edo State First Lady, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, has thrown a party for children of orphanage homes in the state, as well as the physically-challenged.
Mrs. Obaseki, who was accompanied by wife of the deputy governor, Mrs. Maryann Shaibu; wife of the assembly speaker, Mrs. Beauty Adjoto; and wife of the SSG, Mrs. Ejiro Osarodion Ogie, said the whole essence of Christmas is to demonstrate God’s love for mankind, adding that one of the ways to exhibit that is to look out for those who do not have.
According to her, the children numbering about 350 and 60 adults were drawn from orphanage homes and special schools for the physically-challenged.
“It is a thing of joy. I am extremely happy and joyful. It is a huge pleasure for me to have the children around me. They are all happy having a good time and enjoying themselves and I am enjoying myself thoroughly. I have here children from orphanage homes and also from the school of disabled children.
“My own philosophy is that the whole essence of Christmas is to demonstrate God’s love for mankind and we are enjoined as children of God to look out for those I believe in my opinion when we show love or want to exhibit God’s love we should look out first for those who most need that love and I believe children in our midst we consider less privileged are the ones we have here; children without parents are the first to look out for.
“I decided that this is going to be my policy as long as I am here as governor’s wife in Edo state. My Christmas party for children every year will be focused solely on children from orphanage homes and children from the disabled schools. They, in my opinion, are the ones that need our help and our love most as children.
“And then I always have children from the government house to join us but the main focus will be the less-privileged children because they are the ones that in anything we do in government I believe we should target first the most needy and start from bottom up to help those who are at the very bottom of the pyramid and try to bring them up to come to par with those who are privileged or comfortable in life and in society, she added.
Besides, Mrs. Obaseki said one other thing that motivated her to organise the party by involving children of government functionaries to join her to celebrate the Christmas with children of the less-privileged was to expose the former to appreciate their privileged positions so as to know that life is not a bed of roses, adding that there are millions of children out there who do not have the same privileged position they have.
“I asked some of the children from some of the privileged homes, top government functionaries to join me here to celebrate yuletide season with children from the less-privileged homes.
“It is also for me a way to expose our children who are more privileged so that they appreciate their privileged positions, so that they know that life isn’t a bed of roses and that there are millions of children around the world who don’t enjoy what they enjoy in their privileged homes. That way we have our children to appreciate life more and grow to be more responsible and learn to live and show love for our fellow men. So that is what it is all aboutâ€, she stressed.
