Ford Takes Antrim Plaque to Nigeria

10.16.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sat 4th Jul 2009

Councillor David Ford is travelling to the village of Ogugu in Nigeria this month, where he and his wife Anne will visit an AIDS Education and Treatment project. Two years ago, a team of local people, co-ordinated by Mission Africa and mostly from Second Donegore Presbyterian Church, went to Ogugu to build a centre for this work and in recognition of this Nigerian people named the building the Donegore Centre.

Cllr Alan Lawther, Deputy Mayor of Antrim, has given David Ford a Council plaque to be officially presented to HRH Michael Salifu, the Ochugwu (Chief) of Ogugu as a token of the friendship between the Ogugu region and people from Antrim.

David Ford said: "As Chair of the Fairtrade Group in the Council and now throughout the Borough, I have worked to ensure that people in Antrim become aware of the way that we are connected to people throughout the world. We depend on other people for so much of our staple needs and in turn we have to work with them to fight poverty, disease and even problems such as global warming.

"I am looking forward to travelling to Ogugu, to see the work being done at the centre that was built by a group of Antrim people. Two years ago, Anne took part in that work and we both hope that we will be able to continue to contribute to the educational work of the project.

"I am conscious of many other local people who are working in similar ways, whether short-term or long term, on the ground overseas or in education work and promoting Fairtrade at home. As a local Councillor, I hope to present an Antrim plaque to the Ochugwu to symbolise all this work."