Hardship: 22-year-old widow serves her kids poultry feed in Akwa Ibom

Wife of the Akwa Ibom State governor, Mrs Patience Umo Eno has ordered for the rehabilitation of Grace Udeme Emmanuel, the 22-year-old widow who fed her four kids with chicken and fish feed from the poultry farm she works at, at Eket local council of the state.

Recall that One Queen Praise Uzoma, daughter of the farm owner, posted the incident on Instagram, which generated sympathy and support from the public, including the Akwa Ibom State First Lady who initially gave the young widow N500,000 for upkeep.

The Chief Press Secretary to the wife of the governor, Mrs Uduak Ekong, while fielding questions from newsmen in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, stated that Grace has been provided with a furnished accommodation with kitchen utensils, food stuffs for three months, adding that plans were underway to train her on skills and business management as well as enroll her back to school to complete her secondary education.

She disclosed that Grace’s monthly salary has been increased from N15,000 to N35,000, explaining that her employer will still be paying her the agreed amount of N15,000 while N20,000 will be added to her monthly salary to make it N35,000.

She noted that Grace, though a mother of four, is still a child and should be guided on how to manage her finances to forestall falling prey to some boys with ill motives.

“We are mindful that this is a girl that is still a child, doesn’t have a bank account, no phone.

“You don’t raise money and give it to her in bulk. She is already vulnerable. So anything you give her that could make her live flamboyant, she is going to fall prey. People will come under the guise of love and deceive her,” she said.

Ekong also stated that apart from the physical gifts and donations to Grace, the governor’s wife has directed for counselling and mental examination of the lady.

Her words, “So we are not just giving money and going away. We are going to provide a lot of support. The next thing before empowering her will be mental evaluation.

“What caught Her Excellency’s attention, first, was what would propel any human being to consider feeding her children chicken feeds?

“Meeting her we got to know she was pregnant at the age of 16 and dropped out when she was in SS1. She speaks impeccable English and comes across as an intelligent person.

“After the mental evaluation, if Grace is okay, next is to go for skills acquisition and then set her up in her skill and an alternative business.

“The mentorship also includes tutoring her on how to manage her finances and income she will be generating, so she doesn’t waste her capital and she can sustain her life.

“There are plans to take her back to school and for her children’s school too.”