The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Supreme Family Entertainment International Initiative, a Non Governmental Organization (NGO), Mrs Joyce Hemni Andrew, has stated the need for government to use genuine NGOs to achieve grassroots empowerment.
She stated this in an interview with The Tide shortly after the NGO’s empowerment of some Niger Delta Youths, widows and the less privileged in Port Harcourt at the Weekend.
The NGO boss, who is popularly known as “Mama Supreme”, said the organisation was in PH to economically empower the youths, students and widows  from the nine States of the Niger Delta.
Mama Supreme, who distributed food items of different types, wrapper and cash, noted that the food stuff was meant for the less privileged ones, while the wrapper/cash was given to the widows.
She said the youths would be empowered according to their hearts desires, adding that the aim of the empowerment is to better the future of the youths in the nine States.
She encouraged the youths to stop listening to negative side talks from distractors, stating that, Niger Delta would be better.
“I have a dream that this country will be a better place for everyone to stay and enjoy a better future. I want to achieve that dream through the empowerment.
“When we empower the youths, they use whatever we give them to help themselves and create wealth, which automatically would end idleness and restlessness”, she said.
On why it’s difficult to ensure that government empowerment get to the grassroots, she stated that “government is not there to see the suffering of the masses. I have been on empowerment for over 10 years now.
“Government is expected to pass through genuine NGOs who are willing to do the needful because we the NGOs know the grassroots, we live with them and know their problems. We are always willing to do the needful to end the suffering of the masses”, she said.
She called on the government, corperate organisations and financially capable individuals in the society to do something to help the suffering masses, adding that empowering one person to start a business would go a long way in helping many others.
The Coordinator of the Niger Delta group, Mr Gift Obene, DSX  commended Mama Supreme for responding to the cry of the Deltans, adding that the coordinators of the nine States would ever remain grateful for the empowerment.
He said the response was an expression of love by the CEO of the NGO and her husband who came by themselves to ensure that what they brought got to the grassroots.
A widow who benefited from the empowerment, Mrs Iya Isaac, from Kalabari, Rivers State, expressed her gratitude to what she called a show of love, adding that God would bless the NGO for remembering the widows and the less privileged ones in the society.
In his contribution, the President and CEO of IEBS-MATRIXX, Dr. Larry GoodWill Akiola, commended Mama Supreme for what he described as the great work the NGO has been doing.
He noted that the NGO has “been involved in empowering the less privileged ones in the society for over 10 years now”, adding that the issue of empowerment reduces unemployment to the barest minimum.
He called on politicians and wealthy people in the society to borrow a leaf from Mama Supreme.

By: Lilian Peters