The wife of the Akwa-Ibom State Governor, Mrs. Martha Udom Emmanuel has expressed dissatisfaction at the rate to which adolescent girls in the state are having babies out of wedlock.
She is determined to turn the ugly situation around, for this, she is to anchor her pet project around the family. The project is named: Family Empowerment and Youth Reorientation Programme (FEYRep).
Speaking in Uyo, Mrs. Udom Emmanuel said, the project is aimed at creating a platform to showcase successful families, empower women to provide economic and emotional support to their families and advocate for the prevention of teenage pregnancies and education of the girl-child.
She added that the project would also create the platform for promoting moral values and economic excellence in the youth as well as support government efforts toward sustainable development.
In her words: “Today signals a start of a very important journey, a journey to bring new strength and stability to families because stronger families make stronger societies. Our youth represent an immense reservoir of social, political and economic energy and the longer we leave that potential untapped, the harder it will be for us to achieve our bigger goals as families and as a state.
“This event is therefore a call to partnership. It is a Divine injunction to reach out to the disadvantaged among us. You can give your time, energy, contacts, knowledge, skills and prayers to lift up those who are down.
“Akwa-Ibom is a blessed state. So much has been said about our abundance of human and natural resources. The current administration has taken off on a good note that has received widespread commendation. However, we cannot deny that there are pockets of social issues that require committed non-governmental intervention.
“These include combating gender-based violence, poverty, promoting girls education and empowerment, providing economic lifelines for vulnerable families including those with disabilities and supporting youth development through re-orientation and economic empowerment”, she stated.
