The Executive Director of Family Empowerment and Youth Reorientation Path-initiative FEYReP, Dr. Martha Udom Emmanuel has advocated for attitudinal change if the impact of climate change is to be mitigated in the society. She also encouraged all to adopt the tree-planting approach, regular desilting of gutters and not building on waterways in order to curtail the impact of climate change in the society.
The immediate past First Lady of Akwa Ibom State, spoke Thursday, in Uyo, at the eight years celebration of her non-governmental platform FEYReP, a platform she used to touch many lives as the Governor’s wife.
The former First Lady of Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Emmanuel, highlighted FEYReP’s contributions over the past eight years to include interventions in education, healthcare, empowerment, gender-based violence, drug abuse, housing, mentoring, and agriculture. She also announced the addition of a new program, “Climate Change Resilience,” in response to the global challenge of climate change. According to United Nation Environment Program (UNEP), climate change means “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere.
Dr. Emmanuel stressed the global impact of climate change, its effects on communities, and the need for awareness and expressed readiness to collaborate with the government, civil society organizations, and donor agencies to safeguard communities and land from climate change-induced threats. “Climate change is a global challenge. It impacts people, communities, and cities in diverse ways. As a global threat multiplier, climate change continues to undermine the capacity of communities to attain sustainable development by limiting and transforming agricultural production pathways while also disrupting forest ecosystems, ” Dr. Emmanuel remarked.
She added that the event was organized to create awareness of havoc caused by climate change to stakeholders in affected communities and how to adapt and mitigate the challenge, stating that, “As an NGO, we are ready to partner with the government, other CSOs, and donor agencies to make sure that our community and land does not go into extinction due to climate change.” Similarly, representing the Governor of the State at the event, the State Deputy Governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi while delivering the Governor’s speech, said It was heartwarming that the impact-making Family Empowerment and Youth Reorientation Path-Initiative (FEYReP), a brainchild of the immediate past First Lady of Akwa Ibom State, Her Excellency, Dr (Mrs) Martha Udom Emmanuel is already eight years old. She noted that the foray of FEYReP into climate change advocacy is a demonstration of awareness of current global issues and foresight by the organization, stating that, “The World is grappling with issues bordering on climate change, so much so that there is rarely any serious global gathering without it been on the front burner.”
In the same vein, the governor’s wife, Pastor Patience Umo Eno who was represented at the event by the Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Dr. Ini Adiakpan, while commending her predecessor for the impactful programmes and initiatives of her organization for the past eight years of existence, said FEYReP has bettered the lives of many families in years past. The Governor’s wife congratulated the former First lady on the formal launch of Climate Change Initiative, an initiative of FEYReP set up to create awareness on global warming, and praised her for impacting lives through FEYReP even after exiting office as Governor’s wife.
The event featured unveiling of FEYReP Climate Action for All Initiative by the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, a special talking session by climate change experts and the empowerment of 60 youths drawn from the three Senatorial Districts of Akwa Ibom State.
