Wife of the Governor of Akwa Ibom and Founder of the Family Empowerment and Youth Re-Orientation Path-Initiative, Mrs. Martha Emmanuel, has decried what she called “the high rate of divorce” among couples in the state.
She said the rate of divorce was such that something urgent should be done to curb the trend.
Mrs. Emmanuel stated this at the University of Uyo, 1,000 capacity TETFUND auditorium, during the official launch of Amathy Peace Pheromones Foundation and Payforphan Foundation, initiated by the President of the University of Uyo Women Association, Mrs. Rosalyn Essien.
Amarthy Peace Pheromones is a non-profit humanitarian organisation committed to entrenching peace across the society; while Payforphan Foundation is dedicated to alleviating the plight of the less privileged in the society.
The governor’s wife urged Mrs. Essien to use her professional knowledge in peace and conflict management to advise and broker peace among estranged couples in the state.
She said, “The rate of divorce among couples now is becoming worrisome and rampant and as initiator of these projects you have a lot to do in that aspect. As a professional in peace and conflict management you have the capacity to counsel, advise and broker peace among broken homes”
She prayed to God to give UWA president the wisdom, skills and the resources to function as an intermediary to people that cannot afford the resources to seek legal services in courts.
Martha, whose pet project, FEYReP, is committed to eradicating poverty, said touching lives was the greatest thing one could do on earth and ought to be the primary focus of those God has blessed.
The Governor’s wife, regretted, however, that instead of committing their resources to helping the needy, people who have the resources still come to her organisation for help.
Martha said “touching lives was the greatest thing that should be done on earth, so what the president of UWA has initiated would remain a legacy that would survive even after she must have gone.
“When God blesses a man, there was need for the person to give back to the society. It is sad that people who have the resources to help the less privileged will still come to FEYReP and government again for help”.
In her remarks, the project initiator, Rosalyn Essien, said she had the vision for setting up the foundations from her service as the desk officer for the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and the experience she got as secretary to the State Boundary Committee domiciled in the office of the Deputy Governor that mediated and resolved boundary disputes.
She said as the president of UWA she had organised various programmes dealing on issues that had direct influence on the less privileged and orphans, following which she had set up the two foundations to further impact on the welfare of the vulnerable in the society.
