By Our Reporter
Bishop Eyoanwan Otu, wife of the Cross River State governor, has empowered and feted hundreds of street cleaners under the employ of the Calabar Urban Development Authority (CUDA).
PillarToday reports that Bishop Otu empowered the cleaners with cash, Point Of Sales (POS) machines, foodstuff and clothing materials.
Speaking while presenting the women with the items, Mrs Otu said that with her pet project, ‘Humanity Without Borders Initiative,’ she was identifying with all Cross Riverians, irrespective of their social status.
She lauded the street maintainers for the punctuality, diligence and commitment to their duty irrespective of the hazards and challenges sometime encountered.
Adopting the popular quote ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’, Mrs. Otu thanked the women for supporting the policy of a clean and green Cross River State, which, she said, through their hard work, was gradually returning the State to the number one spot as the cleanest in Nigeria.
“I am pleased to be with you today, our dear dedicated women. I choose to celebrate you for the work you do. Irrespective of the weather – hot, cold, rain or not – you are always out on the streets to clean before the city wakes. Some of you leave your homes as early as 2 0’clock in the morning to sweep the roads, so that before 5am, you finish your chores.
“The sacrifices you make to get the roads and streets clean have not gone unnoticed; you are all recognized. Even though some people may not understand what you give to keep our environment clean, we appreciate you, we recognize you. Our Governor, His Excellency Bassey Otu, thinks well of you and holds all of you in very high esteem.
“We appreciate your resilience, doggedness, labour, commitment and dedication to work. We would not have achieved our status as one of the cleanest states in Nigeria, but with you we believe Cross River will again become the cleanest state in the entire country. This ‘meet and greet’ is to express our profound appreciation for the work you all do,” she stated.
Our Reporter said Mrs Otu presented the women with Twenty thousand naira (N20,000) each, gave them items such as 10kg bags of rice, 6 yards of cotton fabrics (Ankara) to each of them while 30 most outstanding street sweepers received one POS machine each.
Beneficiaries such as Gloria Essien-Oku, Offiong Edet and Arit Effiom, who spoke in response to the gesture, eulogized Mrs. Eyoanwan Otu for recognizing them despite their low condition, and noted:”This is the first time anyone has shown us this kind of appreciation.”
In an interview, the Executive Secretary of the CUDA, Elder Dr Ayi Effiong said “These women give so much time to keep the city clean. For the first lady of Cross River State to recognize their effort is a big motivation for them. These women face serious hazards on the road and this shows that they are seen.
“We have 500 women here carefully selected from the different units. There are more women working with CUDA, but these beneficiaries were selected based on their commitment to duty. We use this opportunity to urge other individuals and corporate bodies to encourage these women too.”
