Mrs Martha Udom Emmanuel is the wife of the Executive Governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria. She portrays such excellent qualities that earns her the glitz and glamour she receives continually from her people.
Mrs Martha Emmanuel was born to the family of Chief Bernard Simpson and Prof Stella Idiong, both from Obio Akpa in Oruk Local Government Area of Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria. Born on February 10, 1970 – a month after the Civil War, she is the third of her parent’s four children and the second female child.
Education
She had her formal education in Uyo, the capital of Akwa-Ibom State, obtaining a school leaving certificate from Jubilee Primary School (a.k.a Offot), senior school certificate from Cornelia Cornelly College (CCC), and a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc. Hons.) in Biochemistry from the University of Uyo. She furthered her studies and bagged a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree from Lagos State University (LASU).
Call it fate or call it discovering her passion and/or purpose, Mrs Martha went back to school again after her MBA and got a certificate in Aquaculture from the School of Oceanography, Lagos State. Thereafter, she engaged in aquaculture farming and became successful at her chosen field.
Marriage
Mrs Martha’s quintessential personality attracted Mr Udom Gabriel Emmanuel to her and in 1996, they got married. Their marriage is blessed with four lovely children – two males and two females. Mr Udom Emmanuel, a native of Awa Iman in Onna Local Government Area, the Executive Governor of Akwa-Ibom State, taking the office on May 29, 2015.
Projects&Achievements
Although Mrs Martha comes from a privileged background, it is heart-warming to see how compassionate she is to the underprivileged and vulnerable in the state where her husband governs. In order to help her achieve her charitable goals, she initiated a programme named Family Empowerment and Youth Reorientation Programme (FEYReP), which she calls her pet project.
The vision of this project is to create a state with successful families and responsible youths; to empower families and restore values in the youths of the state. the five cardinal points of FEYReP are:
- To create a platform to showcase successful families
- To empower women to provide economic and emotional support to their families
- To advocate for the prevention of teenage pregnancy and the education of the girl-child
- To create a platform for promoting moral values and academic excellence in youths; and
- To support the government’s efforts towards sustainable development
With FEYReP, Mrs Martha has taken applaudable strides. She has led and shown the way to cultivate cassava with improved cassava stems in Okobo Local Government Area, and also inaugurated FEYReP Cassava Processing Factories in Ibiono and Ini Local Government Areas. This, she did with an objective of boosting garri production in the state.
One Edere Obo Market in Ikot Akpatek, Onna Local Government Area has been remodelled with 202 open stalls to create room for more people to sell.
An arm of FEYReP sees to building fully furnished bungalows for widows and widowers in the state. This arm is called “Shelter of Hope Programme”. However, this programme is not limited to only widows and widowers. Mrs Martha, a devout Christian, says that she picks out the beneficiaries based on her conviction with the help of God. With this programme, she has built not less than 24 bungalows, all fully furnished.
In two years, Mrs Martha, through FEYReP has touched so many lives positively, building houses, sponsoring sight restoration operations, blessing parents with multiple births, and renovation and reconstructing old and/or dilapidated structures, amongst many others.
References:
www.akwaibomstate.gov.ng/her-excellencys-profile/
www.marthaudom.org/about.html
www.feyrep.org.ng/feyrep-home/feyrep-home/feyrep-events
www.feyrep.org.ng/feyrep-home/feyrep-home/feyrep-events/two-indigent-families-benefit-from-feyrep-s-shelter-of-hope-programme
Feature Image: womenofrubies.com
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This article was first published on 1st August 2018
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