By Eyo Charles
Several communities in Etinan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State have benefited from a large-scale humanitarian outreach organised by Sweden-based philanthropist, Mrs Gloria Eseme Veigurs, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the death of her late parents.
Mrs Veigurs, who hails from Ikot Isong village in Etinan LGA, has lived in Sweden for over 35 years, where she is married to a Swedish national and blessed with children.
Despite her long stay abroad, she has continued to maintain strong ties with her roots through regular community and humanitarian interventions.
The latest outreach, held in her home community, featured the distribution of assorted gifts and empowerment items to individuals and groups across Etinan and neighbouring areas, as part of activities marking the remembrance of her parents.
According to Mrs Veigurs, she initially planned to empower 30 beneficiaries in December 2025, in line with the 30-year memorial of her parents.
However, news of her homecoming attracted a much larger crowd than anticipated, prompting an expansion of the exercise to accommodate more beneficiaries.
“I felt that uplifting the lives of at least 30 persons with durable gifts would be meaningful, although I have been doing similar things before now,” she said. “The turnout exceeded our expectations, but we still ensured that everyone went home happy.”
She explained that several container loads of clothing, footwear, bags, household appliances and electronic devices were shipped from Sweden, cleared at Nigerian ports and transported to Ikot Isong village for distribution.
In all, over 107 trunk boxes of assorted items were shared, with additional consignments still expected from Lagos.
Two beneficiaries, Mr Akpan John, 59, and Mrs Etido Etuk, 60, expressed gratitude to Mrs Veigurs for her generosity.
Akpan said the gifts of clothing and shoes would be cherished for long, while praying for God’s continued blessings upon her life and family.
Similarly, Mrs Etuk described the outreach as a source of renewed joy. “This Christmas and New Year have brought happiness to me and many others. She has not forgotten where she comes from, despite being well-established in Sweden,” she said.
Commending the gesture, the head of Ekpuk Nung Anwanga in Ikot Isong, Chief Eto Sampson, praised Mrs Veigurs for returning home after decades abroad to honour her parents.
He described the initiative as evidence of good upbringing and invoked blessings on her for remembering her people with such an array of gifts.
Mrs Veigurs, her husband, children and grandchildren are now back to Sweden after spending nearly one month mostly in Etinan, Nigeria.
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