By Comrade Ifeanyi Abel Chukwu
For some fishermen navigating the waterways around Warri and Escravos, the sight of a vessel sailing through the channel may ordinarily mean little more than another working day on the river.
But for a group of struggling fishermen and boat paddlers, the arrival of Captain Chris Ngozi’s vessel has increasingly become a moment of hope.
Moved by the hardship he repeatedly witnessed on the waterways, Captain Ngozi, a marine captain, has begun distributing food to less privileged fishermen whenever he sails through the Warri channel, turning a personal act of gratitude into a growing gesture of compassion.
Ngozi said the initiative was born from what he described as an emotional experience of seeing fishermen paddle their small boats and, in some cases, approach passing vessels in search of food.
“Whenever I sail across the Warri channel and see them paddling their boats and coming out to beg for food, I cry,” he said.
According to him, the desire to help had been in his heart for some time, but he needed the opportunity and resources to act.
That opportunity, he said, came after what he described as a difficult period in his professional life when the vessel he was working on faced a major challenge.
Ngozi recalled that at a management meeting, there was a possibility that his vessel could be disqualified from continuing its operation. However, he said, an unexpected intervention changed the situation.
“A call came from one of the senior managers asking if I was still onboard MV OMENMA. I said yes. He told me that because of the good reports and safety activities I had carried out and because I was still onboard the vessel, they had approved us to continue the operation,” he recounted.
For Ngozi, the experience was more than a professional reprieve. He saw it as a reminder of the role of divine providence and an opportunity to extend the same kindness he believed he had received.
He subsequently began buying food for fishermen encountered along the route.
“What started with five cartons has increased to 11 cartons of Indomie, milk, and tea,” he said, explaining that the reaction of the fishermen during his first distribution encouraged him to do more.
He said the sight of fishermen in their paddle boats coming out to receive the food deeply affected him and strengthened his resolve to continue the initiative.
“Since June till date, whenever I am sailing from Escravos to Warri, I make sure I buy more,” he said.
Ngozi stressed that the gesture was not intended to attract recognition but to give back out of gratitude for what he described as God’s mercy upon him and his family.
“I thank God Almighty for the grace to do this,” he said, while encouraging other officers and maritime workers who are in a position to help to consider doing the same.
His story offers a simple but powerful reminder that compassion does not always require grand projects. Sometimes, it begins with noticing people whose struggles are often overlooked and deciding to do something within one’s means.
For the fishermen who receive the food, however, the gesture is more than a few cartons of provisions. It is a sign that, even on the vast and often unforgiving waterways, someone sees their struggle.
And for Captain Ngozi, each voyage has become an opportunity not only to carry out his professional duties, but also to carry a little hope to those waiting along the river.
