Okoku

Still fresh from spoiling indigent village school kids in Delta State with food packs and drinks, the Greater Tomorrow Children Foundation (GTCF) founded by former Super Eagles player, Paul Okoku, has continued to carry out its charity works by donating relief materials to children at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Jos, Plateau State.

He was accompanied by the ambassadors of GTCF, ex-internationals, Dahiru Sadi, MFR, Baba Otu Mohammed, Sylvester Ekoja and the protocol officer, Nigerian National Assembly, Abuja, Alhaji Khalifa Labaran Mohammed.
The donated was done to The House of Recab. The home is run by Mr. Sam Akaakaa.

The dust from the foundation’s trip to Ndokwa Local Government to celebrate Children’s Day and World Hunger Day with pupils of Igbe Ogume Primary School is yet to settle as the kids are still counting their lucky stars with such a visit from the foundation.

With a mission statement to help less-privileged children in Nigeria and the diaspora achieve their maximum potentials by empowering them to create a brighter future through hunger relief, medical programmes, education, sport activities and mentoring, the Greater Tomorrow Foundation has since it was launched in Abuja a couple of years ago been delivering on its set objectives.
After doing charity works in Lagos and Delta States, the foundation last week took its humanitarian train to Jos, Plateau State, where it donated relief items to 207 children displaced because of the unrest and insurgency in northern Nigeria, particularly the north-east.

Speaking during his tour of the camp, US-based Okoku, who personally donated the relief items to the displaced kids, said he was fulfilling one of the dreams of former teammate and ex-Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, who according to Okoku should have made the presentations to the kids in 2014 after the Nyanya bomb blast in Abuja.

“I was supposed to do this with Keshi after the Nyanya bomb blast but national assignment stopped my late friend, which forced us to postpone it but fate had something else in store for us as events later proved.

“It was sad doing this without Keshi but I am sure that the foundation has in a way carried out one of his lifelong objectives because he was so much into humanitarian work and wanted to help these kids, but death stopped him. However, we have kept his dream alive by putting smiles on the faces of these kids”, added Okoku.

Okoku was in Nigeria last week to attend the funeral rites of Keshi in Delta State and used the opportunity to present the relief items to the displaced kids in Jos. He said he was not going to relent in his dream to offer a ray of hope to the less-privileged kids in the society.

“This is what I love to do and would continue doing because these kids deserve better welfare, healthcare and improved living conditions,” he said.
One of the kids in the camp, Afodia narrated to Okoku and other ambassadors of the Greater Tomorrow Children Foundation how her parents were killed in her presence. The emotions ran high as she she broke down in tears.

“Such a story only goes to prove that we have a lot to do to salvage the situation and we need the support of corporate sponsors and wealthy individuals to reach out to girls like Afodia”, said Okoku.

The House of Recab has more than 200 needy children most of them between the ages of 3 and 21years.