<\/p>\n
BY OMOBA KENNETH AIGBEGBELE<\/p>\n
This personage needs no introduction. She is no other person than the
\nwoman of courage, the woman whose love for the downtrodden, the less
\nprivileged and the have-nots, knows no bounds. The woman, who is
\npassionate about women emancipation and empowerment; the activist in the
\nissue of the girl-child and children in general, and the advocate of
\npeaceful co-existence and the total well-being of Africans!
\nShe is no other person than Dame Patience Jonathan, Nigeria\u2019s First Lady,
\nthe woman called Mama Peace, the Odamiba 1 of Otueke.
\nBut what really challenges the passion of this activist is her pet project
\nand the honour bestowed on her as the International Telecommunications
\nUnion\u2019s, ITU-Child online Protection Champion, where she dissipates her
\nenergies, campaigning for the girl-child, children with heart related
\nissues, women empowerment and the online threats against children and
\nyouths globally.
\nShe hosted the First National Youth online Protection Summit, in Nigeria,
\nwhich was a successful and graced by GOOGLE, NITDA, YAHOO, and other
\nInternet private providers and organizations with youths that came from
\nall spheres of life in Nigeria. They came together to interact, network
\nand build synergies on cybercrime and protection against Internet bullies.
\nSimilarly, with the partnership of New Horizon, she convened a Cyber
\nSecurity Summit in Nigeria, a major platform that brought major
\nstakeholders in a convivial environment to chart a way forward towards the
\nprotection of the various publics against cyber threats.
\nThe august event was chaired by Mr. Ehud Barak, former Israeli, Prime
\nMinster, who, with other panelists drove home the challenges, issues and
\ndangers posed by cyber threats\/crime and called for all hands to be on
\ndeck. The summit re-awakened all Internet users to the dangers posed by
\nthe increasing love for the cyberspace.
\nThe emancipation of women has led this ebullient lady to crave and fight
\nfor the 35 per cent Affirmative Action Principle, which has raised the
\nstakes for women in appointed and elective positions in the country and
\nhas broken the ceiling of the dominance of the men-folks in politics in
\nthe country.
\nJust within this year, the amiable woman activist had been around the
\nentire country from North to South, East to West canvassing for the
\ninclusion of women into political reckoning and on these various platforms
\nshe also empowered widows, destitute and other vulnerable women, thereby
\nsustaining their well-being and making them productive at home through
\nskills acquisition given at such events.
\nTo date, a lot of funds have been expended for the purchase of equipment,
\nbuses, tractors, fertilizers, generating sets, bags of rice, garri,
\ngrinding machines, sewing machines and a host of other durable and
\nperishable goods which were handed over to the women at these functions
\nwith the assistance and collaboration of well meaning Nigerians.
\nWhile she had partnered a lot of non-governmental organizations, NGOs,
\nwhich among others include the National Association for the Control of
\nAIDS (NACA), which has reduced the number of HIV\/AIDS positive pregnant
\nwomen. The partnership has led to an increase in the number of individuals
\nwho are receiving HIV testing and counseling in the country, as well as
\ncollaborating with the Primary Health Care Development Agency for
\neffective services delivery. One of such is the Midwives Service Scheme
\n(MSS), which has also reduced child mortality by 60 per cent in 2015.
\nThrough her continued partnership, advocacy and sustained approach, to
\ndate, more than 2,600 midwives have been deployed to over 650 rural health
\ncentres across Nigeria. About 650,000 safe delivery kits (MAMA KITS) have
\nbeen distributed to new mothers across different states, while about 2,500
\nmidwives have been trained in life-saving skills and over 600 rural
\ncentres across the country now have communication links to the national
\noperations centre, which is in line with her strategic plan to operate,
\nmanage and eliminate any health scourge as President, African First Ladies
\nPeace Mission.
\nThe collaboration with the MDG office was very successful collaboration,
\nas both recently launched the Village Health Workers Scheme during the
\nyear to which kits were distributed about 1,480 to newly employed village
\nhealth workers. While the village to village initiative is a milestone
\nthat needs to be mentioned as access to free medical information is made
\navailable through SMS. For according to the energetic woman of courage, we
\ncan proudly say majority of our rural women and children are now the
\ngreatest beneficiaries of this laudable scheme while her partnership with
\nthe lady Mechanic Initiative have paid off significantly with the
\nemployment of about 5,000 who are gainfully employed and are undergoing
\napprenticeship currently.
\nWhile as part of the plans to empower the women by extension the family,
\nthe NGO is constantly training women in skills acquisition, like sewing,
\nbead making, make-ups,and training in soap, perfume and furniture
\nproductions
\nClose to her heart, because of involvement with children, is the First
\nLady\u2019s NGO, A. Aruera Reach-out Foundation (AARF), which had entered into
\nstrategic alliance with international experts on reducing the risks
\ninvolved in transportation, accommodation and treatment of children with
\nheart related diseases and challenges.
\nSo far over 4,000 children have benefitted from this initiative of the NGO
\nand more are still in the offing, for according to the First Lady, she
\ncannot but continue to do this very work of humanity because it has become
\npart and parcel of her life style and passion.
\nHer role on Chibok Girls saga at the meeting conveyed by her on February
\n14 and 15, 2014, led to the unveiling of information previously not in the
\npublic domain, broadening the matter for the good of the nation.
\nThe good she intended turned unsavoury as the meeting progressed, and
\naccording to my good friend, Kenneth Ugbechie, who wrote philosophically,
\nthat we may not approve of her mastery of the Queen\u2019s English, just like
\nmajority of Africans, saying, \u201cyou don\u2019t need to speak good English to be
\na good leader.\u201d
\nBut we cannot lose sight of Dame Jonathan\u2019s sense of bravery, courage and
\nempathy for both the poor, women and children. Above all, she has stood by
\nher husband in good times and in bad times like an Iroko tree, driving
\nhome the message that, \u2018this is the stuff wives of strong characters are
\nmade of.\u2019
\nDame Patience Jonathan will remain that composite Nigerian woman –
\nmobilizer, politician, mother \u2013 that compassionately encapsulates our rich
\ncultural and African family values!<\/p>\n
Mr. Aigbegbele is the media adviser to the First Lady.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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