GIFA At 1: Gov Eno Promises To Keep Initiative Alive

By Bassey Nkponam
UYO
As the Golden Initiative For All(GIFA) marks its first year anniversary, the Akwa Ibom governor has promised to keep the initiative alive by supporting all the issues that were dear to his deceased wife and progenitor of the project, Late Pastor Patience Umo Eno.
Pastor Umo Eno who made the promise Thursday, during the first anniversary celebration of GIFA which took place at Ibom Hall, IBB Avenue, Uyo, and coincided with the progenitor ‘s 58th birthday, said government will support the  Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady, Lady Helen Eno Obareki to implement programmes she is dedicated to pursue and implement.
Eno who later today, laid the foundation for the building of an Ultra Modern GIFA Secretariat in Ewet Housing Estate, said government will continue to assist the vulnerable with ARISE Humanitarian Homes which her late wife was very passionate about, as well as the issue of  maternal care and gender -based violence, which laws to punish persons who engage in the reprehensible act are dedicated to implementation by government.
He explained that over 600 elders drawn from all the 368 wards in the State are given N650,000, each, every month for their upkeep, and that the initiative has been warmly received by people, pledging to continuously carry out the initiative as long as God keeps him at the Hilltop Mansion.
Eno described his late wife as a deeply humane person, a resemblance of the mother hen, taking care of the needs of others even at her own detriment, expressing gladness that the ARISE Elderly Care Initiative, a project that was very dear to her heart is being vigorously pursued.
He recalled that on the same day, last year, he was enveloped in an atmosphere of joy, signaling the official launch of GIFA, but on the first anniversary, he was filled with both the emotions of celebrations and one of sadness.
Eno noted that though the founder and progenitor of the initiative is no more, the dream she had, lives on, even as the drive to enhance family life as a critical unit of any society and bring succour to the less privileged remains still on a high speed.
According to him, the event would have been  the deceased’s 58th birthday, but it had pleased God to call her home, and congratulating his daughter, and coordinator of the Office of the First Lady, Noble Lady Helen Obareki, for stepping up and taking charge of the great initiative and ensuring that positive achievements are attained in the various thematic areas of the project.
He thankrd the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital(UUTH), especially the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Emem Bassey, for naming  the antenatal building after his dear wife, in recognition of the great affection she had for maternal care, as well as the immediate past chairman of Nsit Ubium Local Government Area, Mr Iniobong Orok, an architect, for also naming after her an ICT Centre which has been accredited by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board( JAMB) for use for all their examinations.
The Coordinator of the Office of the first lady, Lady Helen  Obareki, noted that the event marked  the first anniversary of the Golden Initiative For All, and the posthumous birthday of its founder and mother, late Pastor Patience Umo Eno, seeing GIFA  as a foundation renowned for its significant impacts in Akwa Ibom State, as it empowers families across local government areas of the State.
Obareki listed the thematic areas it has mostly thrived to include enhancing literacy rates, reducing maternal mortality, and promoting women empowerment, all of which align  with governo Eno’s ARISE agenda.
She highlighted some of the achievements of GIFA in past one year, and urged residents to be role models and live exemplary lives, as they all have vital roles to play in the successful attainment of the goals, objectives and vision of GIFA.
The United Nation Women representative For Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mrs. Beatrice Enyong, in her remarks, emphasized the importance of women’s active participation in governance, stressing that Gender Based Violence and gender inequality pose a severe threat to development of a society.
High point of the event was the cutting of cake to mark the occasion and a symbolic presentation of an award to the winner of a novelty football match between the wives of all  Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom State.