By Jerome-Mario Chijioke Utomi
That their surnames (Okowa and Okonta) sound similar and familiar could be enough incentive for one to hastily allege the existence of a biological family line. But in the actual sense of it, this particular occurrence was but a sheer coincidence or betters still, a natural order of things.
As we know, Governor Ifeanyi Ekumeme of Delta State hails from Owa Alero, Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State. He is the first Anioma son to lead the state. Anioma, designated Delta North Senatorial district, means the ‘good land’ with 9 local government areas. The area is Igbo speaking and blessed with a population of about 2 million, excluding her diasporic communities.
Also, going by information in the public domain, Dr Isioma Okonta, on his part, is the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Social Investment Programmes and State Coordinator Widows Welfare Scheme. He is from Abavo, Ika South Local Government Area of the state.
Despite this distinctiveness, there exist also big similarities. Aside from the fact that they typify the proverbial saying like minds that think alike, particularly in the areas of human capital development, and belong to the same political family with Okowa occupying the political father figure and Okonta, the son, they are social investors. In them, passion met efficiency and commitment.
Historically also, they are both Ika indigenes.
Quoting Emeka Esogbue, scholar, Anioma Historian and author of over four books on Anioma contemporary history/conversations, the name Ika was widely used to describe the whole of the area that we know as ‘Anioma’ and was made to appear in the compound word of ‘Ika Ibo”. Nevertheless, within time, the name Ika became narrowed down and limited to the present people of the Ika that it describes today.
Further demonstrating their resemblance is the new awareness that both have an unalloyed passion for improving the life chances of the poor and the vulnerable in the state. It was in fact, this ceaseless effort to bring succour to the widows and valuable people in the state that explains why the Governor created the Office for Social Investment Programmes/Widows Welfare Scheme. And to achieve this objective, he, in his wisdom, appointed Dr Isioma Okonta, as the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Social Investment Programmes and State Coordinator Widows Welfare.
Today, following the success of this office, stakeholders in the state are not only in agreement that the state government has performed the traditional but universal responsibility of provision of economic and infrastructural succour to the citizenry which the instrumentality of participatory democracy and election of leaders confers on them, as well as gone extra miles to touch the untouchable.
The passionate praise, by participants at a recent one-day conference in the state, showered on the state government and plea for government-private sector collaboration for sustainable development of this programme underscores this assertion.
Essentially, they were unanimous that the widows’ project in the state remains a right step taken in the right direction and calls for sustainable partnership and collaboration among all development-focused organisations/institutions. It was clearly stated that the scale and ambition of this agenda call for smart partnerships, collaborations, co-creation and alignment of various intervention efforts by the public and private sectors and civil society. The conference was jointly organised by the state government as part of programmes lined up to celebrate International Widows Day 2022 in the state.
Different speakers present at the event brought to the fore the urgent need for all to appreciate as well as support the state government’s efforts in this direction. They called for creative and innovative thinking by all strata of the society-public and private sector and civil society to promote sustained and inclusive economic growth and social development of the poor and the vulnerable in the state and beyond.
They concluded that the state under Governor Okowa’s administration has dropped Delta State from a point where the roads are not pliable to a point where there is a massive construction of roads everywhere. He has touched the youths in Delta State through several programmes. ‘He has made sure that programmes for the girl child have emanated in Delta State where the girl child is no longer dependent on her parents. Business opportunities have been provided for them. Okowa has made sure that there is peace in all those areas. He has done well’.
Making this development a reality to celebrate, they stated, is the fact that this is happening in the state, even when widows across the world going to the United Nations, are invisible in society. They are scattered across the globe, owing to their condition and the enormous challenges, reproach and shame the majority of them are undergoing. For widows to secure expectations by keeping their hopes alive by way of feeding, providing accommodation and qualitative education for their children, they must assume the position of their dead husband who happened to be the breadwinner.
Indeed, looking at the content of the welcome address by Elder Okonta, during the Seminar organized by his office in conjunction with the state government to mark this year, 2022, international world widows day, it is obvious that the United Nation and of course relevant stakeholders in the state may not be wrong in their opinion about the Governor’s performance in this direction.
In that speech, Okonta said; The Governor of Delta State has taken important measures at taking care of the most vulnerable in our society. The most notable of these measures is the widows’ welfare scheme. The Delta State Governor created the widows’ welfare scheme in the year 2018 aimed at alleviating the suffering of the very poor and vulnerable widows in the state. The governor has established an enduring structure that administers the payment of stipends monthly to these widows.
As from having the state coordinator, Okonta stressed that the structure set up by the Governor, also has 3 Senatorial Supervisors, 6 Assistant Senatorial Supervisors, monitors\ aides for the Federal Constituencies and 2 coordinators in each of the 25 Local Government Areas as members of his team. These coordinators are saddled with the responsibilities of administering the affairs of the enrolled widows at the L.G.A. levels. It is pertinent to note that Delta State is the only state out of the 36 states in the Federal Republic of Nigeria running this unique programme.
The widows’ welfare scheme, he explained is non-political and it cuts across religious divides. Although the names of the widows enrolled in this programme were derived from a list collated and verified by the community leaders, religious leaders, civic leaders and traditional rulers and institutions, however, today there is an electronic database of widows that were registered and enumerated by the Consultant, Mr Clive Amuta, MD of Verschoesk Consult and Integrated Services Ltd. This database has over 50,000 widows and is currently part of the state social register.
Only the verified poor and vulnerable widows residing in Delta State are enrolled in the scheme.
A widow who is a civil servant or financially stable is not eligible. Currently, there are 5607 widows enrolled in the delta state widow’s welfare scheme. These windows have been benefitting from the scheme since 2018. The widows enrolled are predominantly aged, illiterate and have difficulties with financial independence. They are drawn from the 25 local government areas of the state and the 270 wards across the communities. The widows receive N5,000 as stipends and free health care services carried out by the Delta State Contributory Health Commission.
The widows, he observed, can access health care benefits through accredited hospitals and primary health care centres in their localities. These poor and vulnerable widows can also undergo surgical operations at accredited health facilities, free of charge.
Because the Governor has the economic interest of these indigent widows at heart, the state government through the office of the widow’s welfare scheme has distributed 900 melon shelling machines and generating sets to some widows in the three senatorial districts of the state to empower these vulnerable widows to be financially independent. While showing appreciation to the Governor, Okonta finally announced to the gathering that the governor has graciously approved the purchase of Stater packs for about 500 widows in the 25 L.G.As of Delta State.
Today, the state is witnessing a new frontier in Social Investment Programmes. His Excellency the Governor has also approved that 5500 Widows that have been enumerated and data captured as part of the Widows welfare database should be enrolled in the widows’ welfare scheme for the monthly payment of stipends and access to free health care. This will bring the total number of widows enrolled in the scheme for payment to 11107.
Utomi Jerome-Mario is the Programme Coordinator (Media and Public Policy), the Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA). He can be reached via [email protected] or 08032725374
