Chief Dr.  Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano, Osodieme, is by all standards, the icon of our time. The assumption of office by her husband, Governor Willie Obiano, on March 17, 2014, thrust her forward for the role of first lady. She assumed the responsibility and within a very short-while, she acquitted herself creditably as an icon and beacon of hope, to the admiration of many.

Convinced that “whenever, wherever life is touched, government has succeeded,” Mrs. Obiano strove to support her husband in the delivery of good governance to Ndi Anambra with the programmes of her NGO, Caring Family Enhancement Initiative (CAFÉ). To date, CAFÉ, which prides itself as a beacon of hope and empowerment for the less privileged, the physically challenged and indigent widows, has provided training on various skills with start-up capital to over three thousand women and youths.

Other achievements of CAFE include; presentation of food items, clothing and other materials to women; building of many houses for indigent widows; construction and handover of boreholes in communities across the state; sponsorship of free surgery for children with cleft lip and cleft palate congenital mouth disorders, free prosthetic limbs to over three thousand physically challenged, wheel chairs for over two thousand persons, and CAFÉ Market toilets in rural markets and public places to promote hygiene and dignity of market women as well as  eradicate open defecation.

All these and more prompted UNICEF and the European Union to crown Chief Mrs. Obiano as Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Ambassador in 2016. Her Excellency equally bagged the 2017 Zik Prize for Humanitarian Services, while the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University bestowed on her Doctor of Business Administration, Honorus Causa. This year too, Osodieme received 2019 Woman of Excellence Award from Agro-ZIV, New York. Other achievements that prompted the awards are Osodieme’s skill acquisition programme for women and youths in which she donated items such as sewing machines, clippers, power generating sets, hair dressers etcetera to them. Few weeks ago, she made good her nickname-OSODIEME when she donated executive chairs and sofas plus other items to the Anambra Broadcasting Service to facilitate its operations. This is in support of her husband’s transformational provision of democracy dividends in ABS, a station, hitherto, forgotten by previous administrations in the state, despite its mouthy services to them.

Whereas Governor Obiano has performed exceedingly well in the past five years, his wife, Osodieme, who has no constitutional mandate and no funding for her programmes, has equally brought to bear her abilities as an Amazon, a beacon of hope and great mobilizer. Worthy of note is her attraction of support from non-indigenes and prominent sons and daughters of the state from different political persuasions, who freely donate in support of CAFE’s charitable projects.

Last year, in spite of her tight schedule, she authored an interesting biography of her husband, Governor Willie Obiano. No doubt, Akpokuedike encourages his wife to excel. First, he gave her an office space where she holds regular interactions with groups who visit to share concerns on issues of interest to them and the state. The direct interface has allowed Osodieme to engage soft issues, concerns and multifarious challenges thrown at the door-step of government by concerned citizens.

Thankfully, the office of the wife of the governor, through regular interface with the women-folk, has become a vehicle and feedback mechanism to the governor. Apart from regular consultations, Mrs. Obiano works steadfastly to ensure that Anambra women and various groups feel the impact of government so as to eventually contribute their quota to the socio-economic development of the state.

This is the thinking behind her resolve to regularly tour the 179 communities in Anambra where she interact, listen to challenges and shower indigent widows, physically challenged, less privileged persons and children with gifts. It is also heartening that Mrs. Obiano is helping Anambra women surmount the prevailing economic quagmire by regularly hosting each group to a parley to lift their mood. Seizing the moments, she shared morale boosting banters, laced with exhortations to be strong in both individual and collective quest for a better Anambra.

Recently, when two families resident in Anambra were delivered of quintuplets each, Osodieme came to the rescue of the bewildered couples by off-setting their huge hospital bills and enabling them go back home with their bundles of joy. In the same, vein she has sent help to some who gave birth to triplets, twins and lots more.

Last week, she directed the evacuation of hundreds of destitute from the streets for rehabilitation. It would be recalled that Dr Mrs. Obiano, last year, reunited a fully recovered 62-year old widow and former inmate of Nteje Home for Mentally Challenged with her family, after thirty-five years of being lost and presumed dead.

Such is the impact of Mrs. Obiano as a beacon of hope, easily the acknowledged voice, not just for women, but for the voiceless, indigent widows, the physically challenged, less privileged children, youth and the rest of Ndi Anambra.

Chief Dr Mrs. Obiano, indeed, you are a trail blazer. Keep it up, Osodieme!


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