In a bid to fight hunger in Nigeria, a
humanitarian kitchen in Gwagwalada,
Abuja, has opened its doors to feed
1,000 indigent Nigerians daily and 2,000
prisoners weekly. AGBO-PAUL
AUGUSTINE was at the maiden free food
initiative of Marian Soup Kitchen at the
Kuje Medium Prison, where 824 inmates
had a good time
Located on the outskirts of Gwagwalada
on the hole-riddled Gwagwalada-Kuje
road, Marian Soup Kitchen can pass for
any regular structure on the dusty road
where little commercial activities take
place. It stands like a cottage factory
painted blue and white with a few
security personnel on guard. But beyond
the face of the structure lies a
humanitarian service that many a visitor
may ponder about.
Marian Soup Kitchen was
conceptualised, built and equipped to
feed 1,000 hungry Nigerians with rich
meals daily and 2,000 prison inmates
weekly in the Federal Capital Territory at
no cost. The only requirement is
submission for security check at the
gate, getting a card, signing in and being
seated in the massive hall that is fully
equipped like a boarding school dining
hall with a projector to show movies
while meals are served.
When LEADERSHIP Weekend visited the
site in Gwagwalada, it was breathtaking
as everything at the centre was provided
through the private effort of a
philanthropist. The first point of call for
any visitor is the reception desk where
cards are clocked in, then into the
massive, well-ventilated dining hall with
1,000 chairs arranged around tables. It
also has several toilet facilities to meet
the large number of persons expected at
the centre.
The centre has a small clinic for those
with medical needs and a counselling
unit too. It also boasts of modern cold-
rooms for raw food and drinks with a
massive, fully equipped kitchen. It has a
modern water treatment facility and a dry
food store with hostels for its workers.
The N100-million project was built for
the poor in society who are basically
faced with the challenge of feeding
themselves and with the mandate of
giving them hope.
The first Nigerians to taste the free
gesture of the kitchen were inmates of
the Kuje Medium Prison where 824
inmates had it good recently. The
Nigerian Prisons Service graciously
granted permission to the kitchen’s
request to provide free meal to inmates
in the three prisons under the FCT
Command of the service. With that
arrangement, 2,000 inmates are sure of
getting a taste of a good meal once a
week.
At the Kuje Prison, LEADERSHIP
Weekend was exclusively granted access
to witness the maiden free feeding of
inmates as all the inmates were given a
plate full of Jollof rice and beef each.
Most of the inmates couldn’t wait for the
food to reach them, as the aroma had so
aroused their taste buds that some were
practically salivating as they scrambled
through the barricade of the kitchen to
have their share.
It took extra efforts of prison wardens to
restore order as some inmates were
already going out of control. Some of the
more ‘experienced’ prison inmates had
to be drafted to assist officials of the
kitchen to serve the meal in batches of
10 plates each.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP Weekend,
some of the inmates said the food they
get in prison is a far cry from what they
ate at the kitchen. “The food is far better
than what we get in prison and that
explains why our colleagues are falling
over each other to have a good meal”,
said an inmate.
“Some of us that don’t have rich
relatives to bring food for us in prison
have to wait for opportunities like this to
have a taste of home once again.
“I can tell you, eating this meal makes
me feel like I am at home because what
we get here is of less quality. However,
the prison officials are doing their best to
make our stay worthwhile,” said another
inmate.
All the inmates had to eat the food with
bare hands as cutleries are not allowed
in prison to avoid being used as
weapons. Most of the inmates never
bothered to wash their hands before
gulping the meal whose aroma
permeated the entire prison.
After eating, none of the visitors are
expected to wash their dishes; they
simply eat and leave.
While speaking with LEADERSHIP
Weekend, the founder, Rev Fr. Willy
Ojukwu said he was motivated by the
zeal to make people happy. He said the
main objective of the gesture is the love
of humanity.
The priest believes that the world is a
“family of God” regardless of religion,
tribe or ethnic affiliations hence, he was
moved to assist the hungry by giving
them food at no cost. He said he has
been into humanitarian services since
1966 and worked to fight Kwashiorkor in
the south east during the Nigerian Civil
War.
“The place is open for everybody; any
person that is hungry is free to come to
Marian Soup Kitchen.
“After eating, all visitors to the place are
not to wash their plates; they are
expected to get up and take the exit
door. It’s as simple as that,” Ojukwu
said.
He also said the programme had been
planned to last beyond his demise even
as he bemoaned Nigerians who are in
the habit of wasting food items as there
are millions of Nigerians who still go to
bed hungry every day.
Consequently, Marian Soup Kitchen has
taken upon itself to feed 9,000 mouths
every week. Its sustainability remains a
huge test to the aspiration of the
Catholic Priest to serve humanity in good
and bad times.
“If you can’t feed the poor, employ them
in factories to work,” Ojukwu,” Ojukwu
added.
When asked, he said the motivation
behind the gesture was his belief that the
world is a family of God and he was
convinced too that he could assist the
government to uplift the poor. “The main
objectives of the programme is the love
of humanity; I don’t want to see people
suffer. God has blessed me, why
shouldn’t I help others? It pains me to
see people begging and suffering.
“If you go round hotels in Nigeria, you
will see large quantities of food wasted.
It is also sad to see how some rich
people in Nigeria waste money. If only
they could have an industry or
something that will uplift the people, it
will be wonderful and that is why I was
motivated to see how I can make people
happy, especially the poor.
“I love Aliko Dangote though I haven’t
met him because he is using his money
to establish a lot of industries and once
you establish companies, you are feeding
a lot of families whether you know it or
not. Some of our people who are getting
the money either from government or
elsewhere only siphon and launder it
outside the country. The countries
having the money are using it to develop
their places and we are here dying of
poverty in the midst of riches and
wealth,” he lamented.
Speaking on how he gets money for the
project, he said, the seed funds were
raised from the series of books he had
written and movies staged in
collaboration with some Nollywood
actors.
“We made a movie which was launched
in Abuja and about N40 million was
realised in a day. The board of directors
also added and we were able to get the
seed fund to start the project.
“I have great faith in God and I am
convincedhat God will always provide for
his people. When I finally get started
fully, people with big industries,
especially food companies and hotels will
be approached to pass to us what they
cannot use but still edible. We shall also
approach bottling companies and
breweries to give us drinks that they feel
they cannot distribute before their
expiring date. Here we can consume
them in a day.
“We also intend to approach the Nigeria
Customs Service for help. We want to
plead with them to give us some of the
seized food items from importers who try
to circumvent the law of importation.
Instead of destroying some of the food
items, our kitchen could make use of
them by feeding the masses with it,” he
pleaded.
He said, as long as there are hungry
people in Nigeria, the place would remain
opened.
“This place does not belong to anybody
even me and my brothers and sisters
and if I pass away today, no one in my
family can lay claim to the project
ownership. It belongs to God and
humanity,” he stated.
Leadership.
