Blessing Taiwo
De Imperial Philanthropic Family (DIPF) has been recognised for its immense passion and works in catering for the needs of humanity.
DIPF is a group of patriotic and responsible individuals from the South East geo-political zone in Nigeria with a clear mission of developing the region through life-changing initiatives and empowerment programmes.
These programmes include elaborate scholarships for students, support for the sick, widows and underprivileged.
These life changing initiatives informed the decision of Champion Newspapers’ Board of Editors in conjunction with credible independent assessors to vote unanimously for De Imperial Philanthropic Family as the Champion Newspapers’ 2024 Most Outstanding Philanthropic Organisation in Nigeria. An award well merited for the humanitarian projects completed and still ongoing.
The non-governmental organisation is also very keen on seeing a crime- free South East region filled with developmental strides.
In its latest initiative, preparations are at advance stage for the building of a huge cancer diagnostic centre in the region, a project of about N120 billion and first of its kind in the South East.
The project is set to commence in the first half of 2025, with an aim to save the lives of those battling with cancer. At the proposed diagnostic centre which will be situated in one of the five South Eastern states of Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo, cancer patients will be treated at a subsidised cost as it is a non-profit scheme.
Explaining the vision of the organisation, during a visit by Champion Newspapers Management to his office recently, President of DIPF, High Chief Dr. Darlington Nwabunike, said the NGO was formed with the sole aim of helping humanity.
“We touch lives in different areas but the most pronounced is our scholarship scheme,” he said.
According to him, the NGO offers full scholarship to students in South East with a target of 10,000 beneficiaries in four years.
Also, for the widows programme, about 2000 widows are on the organisation’s payroll as a form of support to improve their standard of living.
Speaking extensively on the significance of De Imperial Philanthropic Family’s initiatives in the region, the president said, “the Igbo community presumes that we have been marginalised but I tell people that we’ve not been marginalised but we marginalised ourselves.
“We have men who have capacity that abandoned their people there in the South East and have gone out there to do things that are very loud and meaningful which doesn’t have immediate impact on the lives of those who are in need.
“We formed De Imperial Philanthropic Family with the sole idea of helping humanity. We touch lives in different areas but the most pronounced is our scholarship scheme.
“Presently, we have about 750 students and the target is 10,000 students in four years. It is not a scholarship scheme whereby you send the children to school, give them some money and after secondary school, you let them be. The scholarship is till university level. It is a high budget programme. If we are able to do schemes like this in the society, crime rate in the South East will reduce.
“We also have the widows programme whereby we have about 2000 of them on our payroll. This and more are the things we are doing to better the lives of the downtrodden in the South Eastern part of Nigeria. Yet, there is a need to do more.
“In our last annual general meeting last year, we passed a resolution to build the biggest cancer diagnostic centre in the South East. It is a project of about N120 billion.
“We are in touch with the South Eastern Governors to get the best place to site it for the benefit of those in the South East. There is currently no good cancer diagnostic centre in the South East.
“The few centres we have in Nigeria are very expensive and not many people will be able to afford the cost. If we have it as a philanthropic organisation, we will subsidise cost as we are not looking for profit but how to help humanity overcome the challenges ravaging the society. Before the first half of the year, we should have laid the foundation of the project.
“This year, we have also begun another project— building of one school block in each of the local government areas of the five South Eastern states. The rural places and dilapidated schools are the target. We are commencing with 20 blocks at once.”
“While some clubs build hotels, event centres and others which is good too, but there is a need for this cancer facility,” he added.
Applauding the cancer diagnostic centre project, the Group Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of Champion Newspapers Limited, Dr. Mrs. Nwadiuto Iheakanwa, said the people suffering from cancer go through severe pain and isolation.
Dr. Iheakanwa said the treatment of cancer should be invested on by the government and well meaning Nigerians like in advanced nations to save more lives.
“The fraud going on in government is too much that people don’t even care about investing in it. Cancer is no respecter of persons, whether rich, poor, old, young.
“We are in partnership with a doctor from LUTH for children living with cancer. Any case she brings in, we publish for her and add the account details for support. The children living with cancer are also neglected. The adults are not getting attention, same as the children. This is an applaudable initiative and it really gladdens my heart,” she said.
