Okon Bassey
12 November 2009
Lagos — The wife of the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio donated free houses to some widows in the state recently. Some of the widows shed tears of joy as they received keys of what are now their new home.
They didn't expect it. Even fortunetellers could not predict it. In their difference churches there was no prophecy that warned them that in their lifetime, especially as widows in remote communities, something very spectacular was coming their way. The Family Life Enhancement Initiative (FLEI), a pet scheme of the Wife of the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio has continued to touch the life of the less privilege in the state. This time, it was not empowerment programmes or skill acquisition jobs, not feeding of children or party for the elderly, not even the special care for the street and abandoned children but, Mrs. Akpabio embarked on the construction of 21 two-bedroom bungalows each across the three senatorial district of the state for widows in the state.
The market value of each of the two-bedroom bungalow is put at N2 million. Seven widows are selected from each of the senatorial district of the state to benefit from the programme expected to gulp about N42 million. This is one project that some state governments will call Housing Estate and a key project with the President or Minister invited to do the commissioning with fan fare.
Seven widows aged between 30 and 50 years benefited from the first phase of the housing project inaugurated recently in Eket Senatorial District of the State. Those who benefited in the first round of the free housing donation were Grace Akpan from Ikot Abasi local government area, Mercy Christopher King from Mkpat Enin local government area, Mercy Jonah from Onna local government area.
Others are Elizabeth Mbipom from Ibeno local government area, Sarah Eno from Esit Eket local government area, Iquo Harry from Urue Offong/Oruko local government area and Uduak Asuquo from Okobo local government area.
Some people may question the justification in picking the beneficiaries, while others may dismiss the project as another way of settling political and family allies. The selection process was very simple. The Family Life Enhancement Initiative liaised with the Chairman of the local government council to pick somebody.
That person must be a widow. When the person so selected fails the initial screening, another chieftain in the area is asked to scan for anther potential beneficiary. The office of the Family Life Enhancement Initiative will screen the person chosen.
For example, in Ikot Abasi local government area, when two nominees of the wife of the chairman of the area failed to meet the requirements, the wife of the deputy governor of the State who is also from the area was contacted to identify a beneficiary. Mrs. Grace Henry was selected. Apart from the house built for her, the Governor's Wife is also sponsoring one the daughters, Miss Emem Henry Akpan in fashion designing at a reputable firm in the state-the Queens Fashion House. Aged 45, Mrs. Akpan whose main occupation is subsistence farming has three children, two girls and a boy with the oldest being a 17-year old JS3 dropout.
Another beneficiary, Mrs. Christopher King, aged 27 with four children of between 10 months to three years (three boys and a girl) survived on subsistence farming. The building is put up for her at the ruins of the late husband's house. As at the time of identification, the only evidence of a house seen was rotten bamboo sticks and roofing mats, which were once part of a building.
Again, a widow, Mrs. Mercy Etokete Jonah aged 36 from Onna local government area was living in a rented accommodation. The late husband's house had completely collapsed. She had five children out of which three are dead with two alive. The oldest are seven and 18 years. She depends on daily jobs in the village with the teenage son to make a living.
The sympathy of the Mrs. Akpabio was extended to Mrs. Elizabeth Mbipom aged 42 from Ibeno LGA. Mrs. Mbipom a mother of six (five boys and a girl) engaged in petty trading to feed the children. The oldest aged 22, has finished SS3, while the youngest is nine years old. Five of the children are still in school. The Family Life Enhancement Initiative did not only build the house for her, but also choose to sponsor her medical treatment at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital for the stoppage of hemorrhage that has lasted for a year.
Another widow, Serah Okon Eno from Esit Eket local government area, aged 43 with six children. The four surviving ones assist her cultivate and sell vegetable to feed. Her oldest child is a girl of 20, while the youngest is eight and all in school.
Mrs. Iquo Okon Henry from Urue Offiong/Oruko LGA is aged 52 and has nine children with the oldest being 21 years, while the youngest is eight years. She is involved in the processing of palm oil for sale to care for the family. Another beneficiary, Mrs. Uduak Asuquo Ita aged 38 from Okobo LGA was considered, as her apartment was very pathetic. It was a dilapidated thatched building and overgrown with weeds and creeping plants. With three children the oldest being 14 years and the youngest being nine, Mrs. Ita goes round the village and the neighbouring community to do menial job to support the family.
At the handing over of the building to the owners, their joy was overwhelming as they packed into a free brand new painted and secured houses through the efforts of the pet project of the Mrs. Akpabio. For Mrs. Akpabio the determination to assist the widows stemmed from the experiences her mother passed through as a widow. She said the suffering widows go through after the death of their husbands really inspired her to build the houses for them.
"I am here to serve womenfolk, my mother was once a widow even though she had a small hut over her head, I am always attracted to think about widows because I know what they pass through," she said at the brief ceremony recently.
She explained that the exercise was on going, as widows in other senatorial districts would benefit from the gesture as more funds are donated to her organisation.
Looking at the widows who were all smiling and occasionally shading tears of joy, Mrs. Akpabio said the exercise has no political under tone, saying the beneficiaries were chosen through the assistance of the Commissioner for Women Affairs, council chairmen and thorough screening by staffers in her office.
"This programme is for a widow, who doesn't have anybody to take care of her. So once we get the names from council chairmen, members of the House Assembly, I will then send my staff to these localities to ascertain the authenticity of each claim. Once we find out foul play, such list and names are dropped, that is why you have seen us succeed in touching the actual people the programme is meant for.
"The buildings are not costly because it is just a two bedroom flat, it is not more than N2million and we have been able to do this because a lot of people have been donating to the project and once more donations come, we will be able to complete others," she emphasised.
The gesture, she said was to give the widows a sense of belonging, show them love, care and the assurance that they are not forgotten as the present government in the state has a mission of touching their lives positively. Mrs. Akpabio also made some financial assistance to other aged women within the council areas, asking them to ensure judicious use of such widow's mite for the betterment of their lives.
Some council chairmen including that of Ikot Abasi, Dr. John Ekot, Mkpat Enin LGA, Mr. Mfon Nkanteen and Onna LGA, Mrs. Owoidighe Ekpoattai expressed gratitude to the wife of the state governor for remembering the widows. They described her as the true Mother Theresa of the time who has written her name in gold and prayed God to keep her and the husband alive to continue to render dividends of democracy to the people.
At each council area visited, the beneficiaries thanked the governor's wife for providing accommodation for them, as each of them tried to recall the horrible experiences they passed through since the death of their husbands. The widows prayed for God's protection, love and guidance for Mrs. Akpabio, the husband and the state government for remembering the forgotten in the society.
They said they lacked words to thank Mrs. Akpabio for being a friend to the needy and a mother to the motherless as their tears have been wiped away by her action.
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