The wife of Cross River State Governor, Bishop Eyoanwan Bassey Otu, has marked her 62nd birthday by empowering women, especially in Cross River South.

Bishop Eyoanwan began her celebration with the empowerment of her constituents in Odukpani Local Government Area with Engine boats, sewing machines, hair dressing salon kits, motorcycles, solar lights, mini buses, pregnant women kits, barbing salon kits, POS machines and Cash grants.

She said, “I want to appeal to you to use the items given to you judiciously. You know, I don’t have a budget I work with, but from whatever I receive from well-meaning individuals, I try to give back to humanity.

“Today, we are giving out ten (10) engine boats, eighteen (18) sewing machines, twelve (12) hair dressing salon kits, eighteen (18) motor cycles, six (6) mini buses, thirty (30) solar lights, eighteen (18) grinding machines, six (6) barbing salon kits, thirty (30) POS machines with N20,000 cash attached for start up, one hundred (100) mother and child care kit/pregnancy kit, and one hundred thousand naira (N100,000) cash grants to 30 female petty traders,

“I would like to thank everyone who has supported this empowerment in cash and kind, the likes of Engr. Ben Akak, the National Deputy Treasurer of the biggest party in Africa, the APC, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong Jr., Prince Edwin Okon, Chairman of the Cross River State Internal Revenue Service, and all others whom I can’t mention because of time, the Lord bless you all.”

Also speaking at the event, the Senator representing Cross River Southern Senatorial District, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, lauded the First Lady for her magnanimity, “The last time we saw this sort of empowerment was when the Governor, Senator Prince Bassey Otu, was in the Senate. Her Excellency is definitely learning from the source, and we are learning from her. We will do our best to adopt it for our people.”

The Chairman, Odukpani Local Government Area, Rt. Hon. Chief Ukpong Etim Asido thanked the First Lady for the initiative to restore power in Odukpani after many years of total blackout, with the help of His Excellency, the Governor.

The Chairman of the Cross River State Internal Revenue Service, Prince Edwin Okon, who was the host for the event, thanked the First Lady for empowering his people.

“According to him, considering the tightness of her schedule, the visit lingered for a long time, but it was worth the wait because the lives of many people in Odukpani have been greatly impacted by this empowerment.

In attendance were the Wife of the Member representing Odukpani/Calabar Municipality Federal Constituency, Mrs Asi Akiba, Wife of the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Mrs Nelly Ayambem, Wife of the Chief of Staff, Ass. Prof. Virginia Ironbar, APC Vice Chairman South, Hon. Titi Ndifon, and a host of other political appointees, Chairmen of Local Governments, and Councillors of wards.

The highlight of the event was the cutting of her 63rd birthday celebration cake by team Alice, led by her Head of Protocol, Alice Ndem.