Unoma Akpabio: Still pushing the frontiers of humanitarian services
A study of Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs identifies shelter as one of the fundamentals. Humans need shelter to contain the ravaging and unpredictable temper of the elements as well as ward off predators. But sometimes the human condition deteriorates to the point that some confront the grim lack of this need as they become homeless and destitute persons or merely surviving in ramshackle habitats that may not even be fitting abodes for reared animals.
Her Excellency, Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio while the wife of governor and First Lady of Akwa Ibom State, had set up a social service vehicle called FAMILY LIFE ENHANCEMENT INITIATIVE (FLEI) and made the concerns of the vulnerable the focus. The pet child was known for a myriad of interventions ranging from attention to those with medical conditions, provision of shelter for the poorest of the poor, assistance to orphanages, provision and feeding of prisoners, alleviation of the burdens of the less privileged as well as engagement in sundry services that to ameliorate the pains of fellow human beings. These human gestures rightly earned her the moniker, “Mother Theresa”, a reference to the Indian NUN who devoted her life to working for the poor and serving humanity.
But many had thought that Unoma Akpabio’s gestures that resulted in the donation of countless houses to the homeless across the State and other forms of interventions to the needy, were natural to her office as First Lady. This assumption has, however, been proven wrong as the former First Lady continues to push the frontiers of humanitarian services as a private citizen. Unoma has continued to allow her milk of human kindness to flow and flourish almost 6 years after leaving office as wife of governor. She has continued to show that life, no matter how affluent, is meaningless unless it makes impact on other lives.
Her Excellency, Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio from May 29, 2015 made a slight adjustment in her social service vehicle. She rechristened it as SHELTER SUPPORT PROGRAMME, with Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District which is her primary constituency, as the focus. As at last count, she has donated 10 well furnished houses to widows, one from each of the 10 local government areas that make up the senatorial district. The houses are built for the poorest of the poor and all of them, post her occupation of office as First Lady.
The stories of the conditions of the beneficiaries of these houses are touching and numbing. Take the case of Mrs. Affiong Okon Akpan, a 52 year old widow from Mbiaso in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area. Affiong has two sons. One has not been seen from when he left home to Calabar to learn a trade. The one at home with her is blind and goes out to solicit for alms for their upkeep.
But the worst in the series of her misfortune was that the late husband’s house had collapsed. Because of that, she was given a room by her brother-inlaw to stay with the blind son. One of the children of the brother-inlaw made life unbearable for them. He tormented them with serial beatings often forcibly taking any daily proceeds the blind made as rent for the room they were occupying. Unoma has not only finally changed their story, she has rescued them from daily torments, restored their freedom and given them peace of mind.
If the case of Affiong was pathetic, that of Mandu Effiong, 40 of Nkek in Ukanafun, is heartrending. Mandu is a widow with 4 children. She buys palm kernel from oil mills to crack and sell to feed the family. The husband died about a year ago and they had to live in a dilapidated structure with falling walls and the corpse of her husband as companion because there was no money to buy a coffin for the burial. Mrs. Akpabio has not only helped them to do the burial, she has provided them with a brand new home of 2- bedroom bungalow.
Another pathetic case was that of Mrs. Mfon Mendie Okon, 40 of Ikot Ukpong Etor in Oruk Anam Local Government Area. Mfon is a widow with 5 children. The husband died in 2015 while she was carrying the pregnancy of the last child. She does menial jobs for people in the community and is largely used as a community slave. The condition had pushed her into acute depression, predisposing her to often look confused and uncoordinated. It is believed that with a brand new home, her condition would witness a turnaround and the rest would be history.
The case of Happy Emmanuel James, a young widow of 29 years of age with 4 children and subsistence farming as occupation, was that of despair as the mud walls of the building had collapsed before UNOMA showed up as Angel of Mercy. Today, they have a brand new house to call their own. It was not different from that of Mrs. Mercy Augustine Sunday, a 35 year old widow from Afen Ikot Okoro in Ika Local Government Area. Mercy has 8 children and the husband left them in death 2016. Mercy buys palm kernel to crack and sell for sustenance, and the challenge of a collapsing house was to add to their frustrations until Unoma Akpabio showed up.
The story is the same for Etang Robert Ebong, another 35 year old widow with 3 children, from Utu Ikot Eboro in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area, who sells “foofoo” and does menial jobs in the community for sustenance. Tarpaulin served as the roof of the building until Unoma changed their story. Mercy Jackson Umoren of Ikot Abia in Obot Akara Local Government Area who lost her husband in 2003 had similar tarpaulin roof as her fate, with 5 children under that condition. Today, the story is also different. Of course in Essien Udim, the home local government area of Her Excellency, Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, a touch of compassion was also pointed to a 38 year old widow, Mrs. Ekaette Friday Udo-Essiet of Ikot Ekang, Ukana Nsasak, who has 5 children. She moved them from a dilapidated structure of wattle roof to a brand new home.
The instructive caveat in this piece is the story of how Unoma Akpabio has continued to dispense kindness almost 6 years after leaving office as First Lady. She has built and donated 10 brand new houses to widows between 2015 till date and still counting. There is something to learn from this action. It simply means that serving others comes from her heart, it is not acted for the camera or the gallery.
Congratulations Your Excellency for continuing to fulfill your destiny of service to humanity.
