THE wife of the Cross River State Governor, Mrs Obioma Imoke, has proven herself to be a staunch supporter and driver of the policies of her husband and the cause of the women of the state , which has given her widespread recognition and awards locally and internationally. For practically eight years, she has complemented her husband’s policies, especially for the women by establishing several programmes and projects which have benefitted them immensely.
Mrs-Obioma-ImokeChief among these projects are the Partnership Opportunities for Women Empowerment Realisation, POWER, Project AWAKE, Destiny Child Care Home, DCC, Widows programme, State Fit for a Child, ASFAC, and safe motherhood project. Through these projects, she has been able to reach and change the lives of many women in the state.
Her Project AWAKE headed by a former banker, Mrs Rosemary Achunwa, has facilitated loan and financial assistance to the tune of N98 million for hundreds of women, across the state to help them engage in small and medium scale businesses and there are testaments daily recorded of the improvement these loans and aids have brought to the downtrodden women.
Over 200 orphans, streets kids off the streets
The Destiny Child Care Home she established has taken custody of over 200 orphans, street kids and abandoned children and is giving them a kiss of life. Sordid tales of suffering and tears that used to be the lot of these kids have been wiped away by Mrs Imoke’s DCC. Many of them are being reformed, rehabilitated and given qualitative education, thereby purposefully reshaping their lives and changing their destinies.
From potential criminals facing the prospects of subsequent imprisonment, they now have hope for the future – hope of not just becoming useful members of the society, but contributing meaningfully to it.
My passion for kids
Speaking recently on the transformation the kids were undergoing, Mrs Imoke said, “These kids are not less human beings like the children whom mothers tell bed time stories and sing sweet songs to send them to sleep.”
Affirmative Action for women
Another area Mrs Imoke has stamped her feet firmly on the sands of time in the state is her passionate insistence for the implementation of the Affirmative Action in the state. Through her efforts, the state has over 13 female permanent secretaries, four female council chairmen, 14 female vice chairmen of councils and 52 female councillors, a feat unmatched by any state in the federation.
She started by organizing a launching ceremony for the women politicians chaired by Mrs Grace Bent, a Senator from Adamawa State, where she raised funds to sponsor their election through her POWER project.
From 3 to 32 %
”We came from a mere 3 per cent in 2011 to attain 32 per cent in elective positions in the state in 2013, the highest figure in the country which is commendable and soon we would attain 52 percent,” she said She said her support was for qualified women, who would perform creditably “and not go there and shut the door because of their poor performance, as the men would say the next time that the opportunity given to us was a waste; I am confident that these women will deliver services that would satisfy our people.”
Alleged domineering power
Despite all these achievements for the women of the state, some people say she has an overbearing influence on her husband and are, therefore, looking forward to the time she will vacate the position of the first lady of the state.
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