Gov Emmanuel extols FEReP’S 7 Years humanitarian Feats
…238 WOMEN, 600 FEMALE YOUTHS RECEIVE EMPOWERMENTS FOR BUSINESS START UPS
By The Evangelist edition, September 22, 2022.
Governor Udom Emmanuel has extolled the giant strides of the Akwa Ibom State First Lady’s pet project, the Family Empowerment and Youth Re-Orientation Path-Initiative, FEYReP, in touching indigent lives and families, describing it as complementary to the visions and programmes of his administration.
He has however decried the spate of parental neglect and its resultant surge in social vices, calling on parents to awake to responsible parenting.
The governor who was speaking at the Seventh Anniversary celebration of FEYReP at Ibom Hall, Uyo, called on well-placed members of the society to support the venture of FEYReP as service to God with assurance of God’s blessings as spelled out in Psalm 41 and Proverbs 19:17.
He expressed special appreciation to his wife, Martha, asserting that he was dazed by the extent to which FEYReP had gone in the impacting the lives of the less privileged, especially for not limiting to issues of the girl-child, but extending the generosity to the boys and complementing the state government’s gesture of soft loans to traders by helping women with interest-free loans.
Acknowledging that the First Lady could not have accomplished the great feat all by herself, thanked the entire structure of FEYReP, development partners, individuals and corporate supporters, expressing his belief that such acts imply lending to God who himself will pay them back accordingly.
In his words, “I want to specially thank the mother of the state who has been a blessing in this ramification.
“When I watched the documentary of what she has done in the past seven years, I almost became emotional, realizing how much, how far and how deep she has touched the lives of the less privileged.
“Today FEYReP has, in fulfillment of it’s vision, empowered thousands of families, especially the indigent ones and that I really want to thank God for”.
Nevertheless, Governor regretted the spate of rape cases, incest, defilement of infants and related vices.
He said the fight against these menaces was not to be left for women alone, charging the church and others to join efforts to rid the society of such vices.
“Another moving thing I discover is the way parents neglect their children. If you go to Divine Homes and see the number of children we have there. We see a lot of children abandoned and we keep picking them up. Some of them into drug abuse, some become totally useless, but when we bring them to Divine Homes, they become normal human beings.
“So many of them have completed secondary school now, some have graduated and we are trying to settle them within the society. Please let parents also take responsibility for some of these children”, the governor said, restating the commitment of the state government to ensuring that no culprit of Gender Based Violence, GBV, escapes judgement”, he said.
“Be I rest assured that the law is catching up with them, as we have so many of them currently standing trial.
“I don’t know what the Judges would say, but I’m happy that the Judges know the law and the law will take it’s course”, he added.
In her address, the First Lady and progenitor of FEYReP, Dr. Mrs. Martha Emmanuel, said the seventh anniversary of FEYReP marked the fulfilment of her lifelong dream of adding value to the lives of others.
This, she stressed, was made possible by the inspiration of God and the immense support of her husband, the governor, especially, and the support of various partners as well as team members.
Mrs. Emmanuel narrated that the FEYReP was founded on the five objectives of creating a platform to showcase successful families, empowering women to provide economic and emotional support to their families, advocating for the prevention of teenage pregnancy and education of the girl-child, creating a platform to promote moral values and economic excellence in youths and supporting government efforts towards Sustainable Development.
She maintained that being guided by the foregoing and requirements of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, FEYReP has undertaken such landmark programmes as the, Girls Uphold your Dignity Campaign to enlighten the girl-child against HIV/AIDS, VVF, teenage pregnancy, rape and other violations; the Bright Future for Responsible Boys campaign to reach out to the boys who were hitherto left to dangle on the cliff of drug abuse/addiction, cultism, rape, promiscuity and other vices; Following the Star, a special mentorship programme; Fight Against Gender Based Violence.
Other laudable programmes of the organisations include: Shelter of Hope Project by which FEYReP has built, furnished and delivered 62 bungalows to indigent citizens; Market Remodeling; Medical and Health Interventions; Entrepreneurial Support and Women Empowerment; ‘Get-a-Skill Initiative; multipurpose Interest Free Loan and many more.
The Head of Office, United Nation Population Fund, UNFPA, Mrs. Maria Rakovich, State Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, Iquo Abia Esq., the President-elect of Medical Women Association, Dr. Uduak Usanga, the Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Mrs. Tina Ugwu as well as the Paramount Ruler of Eket, Edidem E. C. D. Abia, in their various goodwill messages, lauded the great feats of FEYReP in steming the tide of GBV and giving new lease of life to the plagued.
Highpoints of the event included presentation of financial support packages to 238 rural women as grant to support or start up businesses as well as sets of equipment of 600 female youths who underwent training on fashion design and hair dressing.
The Coordinator of Akwa Ibom Female Youths, Esther Nta and Uwakmfon Albert, a beneficiary of the empowerment packages who spoke were overtly excited and grateful for the gesture and prayed God’s blessings upon the governors wife and her family, promising to make her proud in the nearest Future.
