Leadership (Abuja)
Bernard Tolani Dada
18 December 2008
Uyo — Free ante-natal kits worth thousands of naira have been donated to 93 expectant widows who lost their breadwinners while they were pregnant.
Making the presentation to the widows, Akwa Ibom State deputy governor, Engr. Patrick Ekotu, said selection of the beneficiaries' was done in all the 31 local government areas of the state.
Represented at the occasion by the Commissioner for Information and Social Re-Orientation, Mr Aniekan Umanah Ekpotu, he said the gesture is a clear demonstration of Governor Akpabio sympathy towards the plights of the needy and a step towards reducing maternal mortality rate in the state.
The deputy governor noted that many expectant mothers do not attend ante-natal health care because they could not afford baby kits required by hospitals/clinics, hence they resorted to delivering of their babies in the prayer houses and unhygienic traditional birth home.
Ekpotu spoke on the need for mothers to take care of their children in a Godly manner, but warned them against naming their children witches or wizards, adding that the Child Rights Act which has just been passed into law in the state forbids acts of abusing the child and throwing them outside their home.
In her welcome address, the Commissioner For Women Affairs, Mrs. Eunice Thomas said that Akwa Ibom government was working towards attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with a view to combating and reducing high maternal mortality rate in the state.
She enjoined the beneficiaries to make good use of the kits, even as she also encouraged them to attend ante-natal clinics always for safe deliveries, adding that God Almighty will not abandon them. She further advised them not to abandon their children, describing children as precious gift from God, pointing out that now that the child rights acts has been passed into law in the state, they should not neglect, abuse or maltreat their children anymore
The occasion attracted dignitaries from the state, including the Commissioner for Agriculture, Professor Etok Ekanem, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Iniobong A. Joshua amongst others.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Leadership. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
