DG Edu in the midst of pupils in Adadama village
Betta Edu|13 November 2016
Last week the former Special Adviser to the Governor of Cross River State on Primary Healthcare who is now Director General of Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Betta Edu and Speaker John Gaul Lebo paid a visit to their Adadama village in Abi LGA in central senatorial district of the state. Her experience of the tribal war torn community is carefully noted subsequently.
However, her emphasis is on giving the promising kids a shot at education. She called it 'the bargaining power'. This compelled her and the leading Honourable Member to embark on paying the school fees of every out-of-school kid in the said community. Excerpt:
'Traveling to my village always remind me of the harsh realities of life. This harsh reality played itself again yesterday as I drove through all the schools in my village ADADAMA. Beautiful, smart, yet some malnourished children with all sorts of skin issues; worn out uniforms, excited with white innocent eyes looking for a ray of hope to hang onto. Thankfully today it wasn’t the sound of gunshots to scare them out of school into their hideouts; it was John and Betta trying to keep them in school.
'We need to keep our children in school because our future as a people depends on this. Our people no longer go to their farms because of a prolonged war over land matters. Economic activities are grounded and our children were at the verge of dropping out of school. I consulted with my brother who is the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. John Gaul Lebo and we decided to pay school fees for every child in Adadama and equip them with learning materials to secure their future.
'We want to continuously produce Doctors, Accountants, Lawyers, Engineers, Speakers, Senators, Governors, Presidents and so on that will contribute positively to the society. These were my words as I spoke to our beloved children; “You must believe in yourself because you have the ability to attain any height in life. You are the very best life has to offer so don’t let anyone tell you less. Stop anything that would stop you from going to school; do not let anything distract you, not even the war, friends or hunger. Become unstoppable and let nothing stop you from going to school because that is your bargaining power.
'We are confident that the Governor of Cross River State Sen. Ben Ayade will intensify all efforts to bring lasting peace to our land. Let me inform you that he has signed the "Ayade Care" act into law, so you will be having quality health care services in up-to-date health facilities. Our mother Dr Linda Ayade is working on school health interventions; am certain she will be here in our schools soonest.
'Don’t forget the basics; wash your hands always, eat right, sleep under insecticide treated nets (that's why we have distributed nets today) and work hard at being the best you can be. God knows we love you all and will continue to do more. The joy on their faces and the excitement in their voices as they offered thanks and prayers was absolutely invaluable!', Dr Edu concluded.
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger, the Editor & Publisher of NegroidHaven.org
