Esther Salifu
The first lady of Akwa Ibom state Mrs Patience Umo Eno, has provided a house and foodstuffs to a 22-year-old Grace Udeme Emmanuel, who resorted to feeding her four kids with poultry feed at the poultry farm she works at Eket local council of the state.
The support follows one Queen Praise Uzoma, daughter of the farm owner post on Instagram that sparked public reaction and sympathy and also generated Akwa Ibom State First Lady attention who initially gave the young widow N500,000 for upkeep.
Speaking to journalist in Uyo,The Chief Press Secretary to the wife of the governor, Mrs Uduak Ekong, said Grace doesn’t have a bank account, no phone and to avoid her falling to prey she should be guided on how to manage are finances.
According to her, the first lady has provided the mother of four, a furnished accommodation with kitchen utensils, and three months supply of food stuff.
She said plans are in place to empower her through skills and business management as well as to help her to finish her secondary education.
Ekong said Grace’s monthly salary has been increased from N15,000 to N35,000, explaining that her employer will still be paying her the agreed amount of N15,000 while N20,000 will be added to her monthly salary to make it N35,000.
She said: “We are mindful that this is a girl that is still a child, doesn’t have a bank account, no phone.
“You don’t raise money and give it to her in bulk. She is already vulnerable. So anything you give her that could make her live flamboyant, she is going to fall prey. People will come under the guise of love and deceive her,” she said.
“So we are not just giving money and going away. We are going to provide a lot of support. The next thing before empowering her will be mental evaluation.
“What caught Her Excellency’s attention, first, was what would propel any human being to consider feeding her children chicken feeds?
“Meeting her we got to know she was pregnant at the age of 16 and dropped out when she was in SS1. She speaks impeccable English and comes across as an intelligent person.
“After the mental evaluation, if Grace is okay, next is to go for skills acquisition and then set her up in her skill and an alternative business.
“The mentorship also includes tutoring her on how to manage her finances and income she will be generating, so she doesn’t waste her capital and she can sustain her life.
“There are plans to take her back to school and for her children’s school too.”
