BY EMEKA ATTAH
Lady Chinyere Umeoji is the wife of Hon. Chukwuma Umeoji, the Executive Chairman of Aguata Local Government Area, Anambra State. Umeoji is also the Chairman of Anambra State Chapter of the All Local Government Chairman of Nigeria (ALGON). During a recent visit of the Wife of Anambra State Governor, Chief Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano to the Aguata council secretariat, Lady Umeoji spoke on the complimentary roles wives of the council chairmen have been playing in the state and poured encomiums on the governor’s wife for leading the light in women empowerment in Anambra
For those who don’t understand the exact role of the wife of the LGA Chairmen in Anambra State, what do you think are the duties of the wife of Chairman?
There is no constitutionally assigned role for the wife of the chairman of any local government in Nigeria. Naturally, every woman plays a supportive role to her husband and such supportive roles can be played in such areas as the husband may deem fit. However with the advent of democracy in Nigeria, things are changing. You can see that wives of political office holders now initiate different pet projects from where they not only complement the role of their husbands but also give voice and empowerment both to their fellow women , the children, the vulnerable and the less privileged in the society. There are now association of wives of prison officers, army officers, police officers and even legislators and I can say boldly that such associations have enhanced the polity positively.
What are your goals and objectives for the period you will be addressed as First Lady of LGA to compliment Her Excellency vision?
I am so passionate about the upliftment of the standard of living of our women and children in the rural society. If I could think of any goals and objectives for the period I will serve as the First Lady in Aguata, it will certainly revolve around the less privileged of our society, and it is of course in line with the vision of the pet project of our of the First Lady Anambra State, Chief Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano (Osodieme) . The Governor’s wife is the true mother of Ndi Anambra and looking at what she has done with the pet project of hers barely 7 months in office, there is serious hope in the horizon for the people. From the children, the orpharns, the visually impaired and other forms of disabilities and the women folk who have benefitted from various skill acquisition materials courtesy of Her Excellency, we can only say that she is our great source of inspiration.
What measure would you take to ensure that there is transparency in discharge of your duties?
In the discharge of my duties, I have always been sincerely accountable and following due process. And of course I have tried as much as possible to carry everybody along. We have a lot of interest groups, women NGOs, women PGs, women leaders as well as the youths. All these groups must be carried along for a peaceful co-existence.
How many project have you initiated with grassroots women since inception of this administration?
I have initiated a lot of projects for the women and children at the grassroots, when we came into office, I quickly took a tour of all the motherless babies’ homes and orphanage centers in Aguata Local Government. The campaign is on-going and has attracted un-imaginable success. Just recently a philanthropist donated about 500 school bags in support of our programme.
How many projects do you think is currently ongoing in your LGA? Could you rate your satisfaction of those projects?
Numerous projects are ongoing in Aguata Local Government Area. A lot of new classroom blocks have been constructed and are ready to be commissioned for pupils and students to use. VIP toilets have been put in place in the secretariat. The Local Government Secretariat is wearing a new face with landscaping, grassing and painting. Offices were furnished with furniture and electronic gadgets were provided for civil servants, over 300 seats and 10 tables were donated for the council. Over 30 culverts have been constructed to check the menace of erosion in the Local Government Area and 22 culverts are ongoing. Environmental sanitation in the area has been taken to next level etc. In fact, I am very satisfied with the level of work in Aguata Local Government but I think the people are in a better position to rate the performance.
The visit of Her Excellency seems to have left an indelible mark in some LGA, is it same with yours?
Yes, in my local government, our people came out in their numbers to welcome Her Excellency, Chief Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano. For those of you who were there, you can see that I was overwhelmed with joy. My husband was there too. He was really happy. In my address of welcome, I did mention that we were proud to have a compassionate, caring and exemplary mother as our First Lady in the state and our people, especially women and children are highly appreciative of her good gestures.
What are the memorable key events of her Excellency’s visit?
The memorable key events of Her Excellency’s visit were the sharing of Her Excellency’s packages to the less privileged in the society. Aguata got over 40 cartons of milk, 100bags of rice, 50bags of rice for cultivation, 200bags of fertilizers etc. a lot of indigent children were given different categories of welfare packages.
Insecurity challenges seem to have been addressed to a certain level in Anambra presently, what is your take on that?
My own stance on security and fighting crime is that the efforts of our dear Governor, Willie Obiano is quite commendable. The Operation Kpochapu has restored security in the Anambra State. He has done so well within the few months in office. I strongly believe that with the sustained efforts on security, criminality will be reduced to a police-able number in the state. I also commend His Excellency for his resolve in tackling crime with job creation, thereby making the youths busy and productive.
What assistance have your women given to the community policing in tackling crime?
The little assistance we can give as women to community policing in tackling crime is to encourage our women to give relevant information to the police about people who commit crimes or people with tendency to commit crimes in the society, because crime prevention i.e. being proactive is a better approach to fighting crime. Aguata Local Government Area is one of the largest local governments in the state with fourteen (14) large communities with twenty (20) wards and I think we are one of the most peaceful local governments in the state. With the incentives provided by the Chief Obiano’s administration, we will continue to work harder. That is the only way one will be remembered for the love and passion for the less privileged in our society and the upliftment of the standard of living of our people.
