BY SUNDAY BASSEY
In a male nominated society like ours, women are expected to retire to the kitchen and farms, playing an active role of full-time housewives.
They are beset with several home responsibilities and become a taboo for them to come out from the farms and kitchens to exercise their civic responsibilities as citizens of a country.
It is a known fact that women constitute a large percentage of the world’s population, a check in our various churches and other open gatherings proves so.
This knowledge could have been the reason of a new school of thought which arose and advocated for female education.
Education being the bedrock of a society and an agent of development made this school of thought to propagate the message of female education; and was embraced by the society through persistent effort. Women as home makers and peaceful families are defined by characters of women in the homes. A family is said to be a unit which communities exist. Nations themselves are built by communities. This logically makes women as determinant factors of growth in the society. If the women are not educated, the society is not informed, if they are poor, the society is poor.
Then, can you show me an informed society without informed women? The answer is affirmative ‘NO’. It is simply logically parallel. Inform the women, you inform the society.
No wonder in this era of women enlightenment, men now beckon on them to come work with them side by side in political offices and other public offices with the understanding that, as effective as they are in managing homes, such prowess will be brought to bear in managing offices put in their trust.
Thank God! for the 35% affirmative action sought for by Dame Patience Jonathan, the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as a policy to give women opportunity to come out and serve in political offices.
This policy has paid off well as women have been recognised and respected in the public’s sphere, even in political arena.
Time has gone when women were so timid to exercise their civic responsibilities through voting and to be voted for.
Women over the years have proven themselves worthy of occupying public offices under their watch as they always leave indelible footprints which go down well in history book.
Will not go fetch such names from Afghanistan, but around us. The likes of Late Prof. Dora Akunyili; Prof. Mrs Okonju Iweala; Dr. Ngozi Ezekwesili otherwise known as ‘Madam Due Process’; Female Members at the National Assembly; in the State Assembly; our Deputy Governor, Lady Valerie Ebe and our very, Senator Helen Esuene; have all proven stance of probity and un-compromised positions when it comes to service to the people.
Senator Helen Esuene, representing Akwa Ibom South-South in the Senate has not deviated from this path as she has made Akwa Ibom people proud, in particular, the women folk.
She has not only utilized the office to sensitize women on their needed role in public offices and politics; but has, as a woman managed effectively the office to draw wealth of democracy to, not only the women, but the generality of Akwa Ibom people.
As a seasoned administrator who has served with her late husband in the then South-Eastern State, Helen Udoakaha Jacob Esuene has over the years proven that despite her husband’s demise, the enviable model of administration set by her late husband runs in her blood.
She has this uncommon desire to serve the people efficiently and over the years as the First Lady of the then South-Eastern State; Minister of State for Health; Minister for Environment; a member of the aborted 2005 National Conference and an Entrepreneur; Helen Esuene has defined diligence in service for the wellbeing of humanity.
Her massive all-inclusive empowerment programme for youths, women, widows, indigent Students, the physically challenged and the elderly is simply a demonstration of her deep-seated desire to serve humanity.
As a Senator, Helen Esuene commissioned the Job Network Centre in Eket to aid the youth in the employment process for qualified applicants from the Senatorial District. This has afforded the youths of the State to be gainfully employed at the federal and state ministries and agencies.
More than a 1,000 indigent students have benefitted from Helen Esuene Scholarship Scheme and are enjoying academic freedom courtesy of the scholarship program.
To mark the 20th year anniversary of her husband, Late Brigadier-General Udoakaha Jacob Esuene, first Military Governor of the then South-Eastern State, Mrs Esuene donated sporting equipment worth millions of naira to U.J Esuene Stadium on April 12, 2013.
This was in appreciation of the Cross River State Government and the people for naming the Stadium after the husband who saw the state through the civil war period and embarked on massive infrastructural development, including the Stadium.
Still in the spirit of service to the people, Mrs Esuene and family rehabilitated and furnished the male surgical ward at Immanuel Hospital, Eket, which was commissioned by the Governor, His Excellency, Chief Godswill O. Akpabio.
Helen Esuene has encouraged 100 widows from across the 31 Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State under the aegis of Widow Wise Club Nigeria by donating a piece of land at Edebok Village in Eket for Cooperative farming. She donated also food-items, Scholarship to five students of widows in tertiary institutions.
A lot of federal projects have been attracted to Eket Senatorial District through her effort and this include; the construction of Women War Memorial and Development Centre in Ikot Abasi LGA to commemorate the famous Women riot of 1929 which will serve as tourism site after completion.
To contribute in the struggle of protecting our environment, she donated 1,000 environmentally friendly stoves/cooking gas to people of in the senatorial district, as assisted by world bank.
In the same vein, Helen attracted Millennium Development Projects to the Nigerian Police in Eket by constructing a state-of-the-arts administrative block, donated a transformer sub-station and solar-street lights to the division.
This humanitarian gesture has made the people to beckon on her to serve them in a higher capacity of the hilltop seat by taking part in the 2015 gubernatorial elections.
It is in such occasion that Ibom Consolidated Assembly (ICA) in April this year during their inauguration, declared total support to the Senator to move to the number one seat in the State, describing her as the preferred choice of the people.
ICA through her effective representation, presented an award of excellence to her during the occasion.
Many have recognized her numerous achievements and have honoured her for her noble feats.
Another is when Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Eket branch identified with this great woman with an award in June, 2014.
Senator Helen Esuene is loved for her humility, sense of philanthropy, straight forwardness and entrepreneur success. She is God-fearing and is seen as a quiet achiever.
She is Ibibio by birth but married to an Eket man, the late Brigadier U. J Esuene. She is the only female Senator from Akwa Ibom State and the only female aspirant gunning for the Hilltop Seat in 2015.
Concerning her aspiration for the number one seat, Senator Helen Esuene says that her agenda for the people of the State will be creating unity amongst the ethnic sect in the State, creating job opportunities and industrialization of the State.
Who knows, providence might choose to play in the favour of Senator Helen Esuene who has truthfully served the people in various offices in the past; and, due to the fact that in 2015, Akwa Ibom people need a true leader who “will not be spoon-fed by another or being wrongly teleguided”- ICA.
In 2015, many are looking up to a leader who will not compromise standard in regards to the well being of the masses. May be the game is changing to the favour of a woman. Hence, Kema Chikwe, PDP National Women Leader made a political forecast of the Nation producing many female Governors in 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment