Chief Dr. Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano, Osodieme, is by all standards, the icon of our time; a mother-general of the down trodden and the voice of the voiceless. Following the outbreak of Coronavirus and convinced that “whenever and wherever life is touched, government has succeeded”, Dr. 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).

Today, many vulnerable people are not feeling the impact of the pandemic due to her proactive interventions. CAFÉ, which prides itself as a beacon of hope and empowerment for the less privileged, the physically challenged and indigent widows, provided training on various skills with start-up capital to thousands of women and youths, even before the virus erupted.

As if she knew that the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic would pose grave danger to mankind, which compelled many families to stay at home today, Osodieme has been presenting food items, clothing and other materials to women. Mrs. Obiano built many houses for indigent widows who would have been stranded by now; constructed and handed over boreholes in communities across the state. 

She sponsored free surgery for children with cleft lip and cleft palate congenital mouth disorders, provided free prosthetic limbs to over three thousand physically challenged and wheel chairs for over two thousand persons. Osodieme built CAFÉ toilets in rural markets and public places to promote hygiene and dignity of women.

There is no denying the fact the world is on standstill, due largely to the debilitating monster called COVID-19 pandemic, which has dealt a big blow on mankind, causing global lockdown, depression and socio-economic and political meltdown. In the middle of the global panic, the world is standing akimbo; Schools, offices, markets, worship centres, businesses are shot. Jobs are lost, many families are compelled to stay at home. The good news however is that governments are doing all they can to help mitigate the harsh effect of the pandemic on the populace by providing various stimulus packages.

Suffice it to say that Dr Ebelechukwu Obiano is a visionary and foresighted woman. Ahead of the present lockdown, Osodieme introduced skill acquisition programme for women and youths in which she donated items such as sewing machines, clippers, power generating sets, hair dressers etcetera to help them live comfortably.

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, especially on this COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from regular consultations, Mrs. Obiano works steadfastly to ensure that Anambra women and various groups feel the impact of government so as to mitigate the effect of the pandemic, which, by the grace of God, has not entered Anambra.

This is the thinking behind her resolve to regularly meet women in Anambra where she interacts, listens to challenges and showers 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 better families and larger Anambra state.

In every of her interface with women, Osidieme always urged them to be real models, virtuous women and pillars of their homes. She is of the view that every woman must know, at all times, the whereabouts of her husband and children and above all, make the home peaceful, conducive and habitable, especially now that everybody is made to be at home. According to her, women, at this time, ought to be prayer warriors, catering for both the spiritual and physical needs of their homes.

Dr. Mrs. Obiano challenges women to help reduce the risk of Coronavirus by reverencing and being submissive to their husbands, just as the husbands will, in turn, love their wives and children and provide for them. Her Excellency, the wife of the governor is encouraging women, as mothers, to make sure their husbands and children obey all government’s directives to stay safe of COVID-19 pandemic.

Such is the impact of Dr 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. Stay safe, stay alive, stay at home. HAPPY EASTER!

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