''We are Checking Seriously Erosion Menace In Aguata in Compliance with the mandate of Governor Obiano and wife---Lady Chinyere Umeoji

 

Lady Umeoji

President, Wives of Local Government Chairmen Association, and the Wife Of The Executive Chairman, Aguata Local Government Area, Anambra state, Lady Chinyere Umeoji says she would do all within her powers to fight extreme poverty in the communities in her local government area.

In this interview with Odogwu Blog , She spoke on a wide range of issues including how the wife of Anambra Governor , Chief (Mrs) Ebere Willie Obiano visited Aguata, her projects as wife of Hon Chukwuma Umeoji , a former member of House of Representatives and Chairman of Aguata local government area as well as President of Council Boss chairmen wives Association among others: Excerpts by Odogwu Blog

 The husband Hon Umeoji and Chief Obiano

What was the Governor’s wife visit outcome?

Obiano’s wife visit was a blessing because she empowered in each community in Aguata council area 5 skilled disabled people, 3 unskilled people, 10 widows and 15 indigent people.

She distributed hundreds of thousands of treated seedlings for planting for better harvest to ensure the rural women, children and youths are carried along in governance as started by the former Governor’s wife Mrs Margaret Peter Obi.  Obiano’s wife has added colour to it with seedling and medical care to old people and children. We gained much support from her Caring Family Enhancement Initiative (CAFÉ) .

She encouraged everybody especially our parents to ensure their physically challenged children go to school as that is the only means to liberate them from the shackles of poverty. She gave example of Governor of New York is blind but became Governor and appealed that our children go to school because Education is power.  She assured to assist reduce the numerous mental challenged people on the highway by rehabilitating them at the state rehabilitation center. She gave record of rehabilitating many of them. She even begged for proper care for the challenged enable them has a sense of belonging.

Obiano’s wife , Osodieme encouraged us more to embrace the skill acquisition as done in other developed world adding that in America and some other developed countries , people with skill earn more and are the richest even as she warned against gender perspective in that regards.

I did mention that we were proud to have a compassionate, caring and exemplary mother as our First Lady in the state and our people, especially women and children are highly appreciative of her good gestures.

Her Excellency’s visit was very successful, and we are very delighted by her visit.

Projects initiated since inception of this administration and those ongoing?

I have initiated a lot of projects for the women and children at the grassroots, when we came into office, I quickly took a tour of all the motherless babies’ homes and orphanage centers in Aguata Local Government. The campaign is on-going and has attracted an un-imaginable success. Just recently a philanthropist Chief Obi Okoli donated 500 school bags in support of our programme.

Numerous projects are ongoing in Aguata Local Government Area and a lot of new classroom blocks have been constructed and are ready to be commissioned for pupils and students to use. VIP toilets have been put in place in the secretariat. The Local Government Secretariat is wearing a new face with landscaping, grassing and painting. Offices were furnished with furniture and electronic gadgets were provided for civil servants, over 300 seats and 10 tables were donated for the council. Over 30 culverts have been constructed to check the menace of erosion in the Local Government Area and 22 culverts are ongoing. Environmental sanitations in the area have been taken to next level etc.

That visit was memorable because Aguata got over 40 cartons of milk, 100bags of rice, 50bags of rice for cultivation, 200bags of fertilizers etc and  a lot of indigent children were given different categories of welfare packages. In fact, I am very satisfied with the level of work in Aguata Local Government.

Support to the fight against insecurity?

My own stance on security and fighting crime is that the effort of our dear Governor Willie Obiano is quite commendable. The Operation Nkpochapu has restored security in the Anambra State. He has done so well within the few months in office. I strongly believe that with the sustained efforts on security, criminality will be reduced to a police-able number in the state. I also commend His Excellency for his resolve in tackling crime with job creation, thereby making the youths busy and productive.

The little assistance we can give as women to community policing in tackling crime is to encourage our women to give relevant information to the police about people who commit crimes or people with tendency to commit crimes in the society, because crime prevention i.e. being proactive is a better approach to fighting crime.

In Aguata Local Government Area which is one of the largest local governments in the state with fourteen (14) large communities with twenty (20) wards, we are our brothers keeper and we are conscious of security hence there is minimal crime here and once any crime is committed we always volunteer information that always lead to the arrest of the perpetrators.

                                                         

As the President, how has it been? And would you rate your allocation satisfactory?

Let me start from allocation, the First Lady of a local government does not have any allocation to work. We carry out such programmes that are in line with the pet project of Her Excellency and of course such functions as being organized by the Ministry of Women Affairs.

And as for our duties there are no constitutional duties assigned for the wife of the chairman of any local government in Nigeria. Naturally, every woman plays a supportive role to her husband and such supportive roles can be played in such areas as the husband may deem fit. We are very supportive

Goals and objectives for the period you will be addressed as First Lady of LGA to compliments Her Excellency’s vision?

I am so passionate about the upliftment of the standard of living of our women and children in the rural communities of Aguata. I will serve the interest of the masses as the First Lady in Aguata, and my focus is certainly going to be on the less privileged of our communities, and it is of course in line with the vision of the pet project of our of the First Lady Anambra State, Chief Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano (Osodieme) which is CAFÉ.

Is transparency assured?

In the discharge of my duties, I have always been sincerely accountable and following due process. And of course I have tried as much as possible to carry everybody along. We have a lot of interest groups, women NGOs, women PGs, women leaders as well as the youths. All these groups must be carried along for a peaceful co-existence and nobody would tell you once you derail on that because the heat would be so much on you.

After your tenure, what would you like to be remembered for?

I will like to be remembered for my love and passion for the less privileged , the orphans and vulnerable children in our society and the upliftment of the standard of living of our people in general. I pray God to give our people good health and empowerment to take care of their lives by assisting us as a government to reducing extreme poverty.