Beside a Successful Man is a Great Woman

By Josephine bassey

It’s an old saying — but a true one — that for every successful man there is usually a woman who deserves credit for his success. What is even truer is that many successful men could not have gotten where they are without their wives’ taking care of all sorts of details behind the scenes.

In the two years that Akwa Ibom has had Udom Emmanuel as Governor, Martha Udom Emmanuel, his wife has opened added value to his agenda of delivering dividends of democracy to the people. The men, the women, the children, the young and the elderly in Akwa Ibom State all have testimonies to the motherly disposition of the Wife of the Governor who has silently gone about the state positively touching innumerable individuals and families, especially the downtrodden and disadvantaged in the society. Wealth creation is one of the five point agenda of the present Government. As the saying goes, “health is wealth”, the Governor’s wife has, through innovative collaborations between health care organizations and her pet project, Family Enhancement and Youth Reorientation Project (FEYReP), stood in the health care gap for the less-privileged. She has demonstrated the power of partnerships for addressing social challenges at a time when dwindling national revenue is diminishing resources available.

In terms of actual wealth-creation, FEYReP’s mission to support Government effort towards sustainable development has resulted in the laying of foundation for a Seafood Processing Factory at Ibaka and Ibeno beaches in Mbo and Ibeno Local Government Area, respectively.

Martha Emmanuel’s humanitarian disposition has also engendered economic and emotional support for families. She has helped restore human dignity through interventions for the elderly, sensitization programme for youths (especially the girl child), economic empowerment for women and God’s “Special people” (as she refers to physically challenged persons), as well as educational empowerment for children. She has gone a step further to provide houses – one of man’s basic needs – for the widowed in the State. A God-fearing woman who abhors praises as much as she strives to give meaning to people’s lives, Martha Emmanuel is indeed a shining light of compassion. Little wonder she is dubbed “Eka Unwana Akwa Ibom State.”