Akpabio’s wife causes security breach at airport

• Empowerment For Over 11,000 Women And Youths In A’Ibom
The first official visit of the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari to Akwa Ibom State, was almost marred by an untoward behaviour exhibited by Senator Godswill Akpabio’s wife, Mrs. Unoma Akpabio, which allegedly led to security breach.

The incident occurred when Mrs. Akpabio attempted to assume the responsibility of the wife of Akwa Ibom State governor, Mrs. Martha Udom Emmanuel, but the protocol officers from the presidency had to wade in.

It was gathered that, while the door of the aircraft opened and the First Lady Aisha Buhari started coming down, Mrs. Akpabio suddenly sprang from her place to shove aside Mrs. Emmanuel in order to receive the President’s wife to the state; not minding the fact that, the governor’s wife had been rightly positioned by the presidential protocol team as the state’s first lady to receive the country’s First Lady formally into Akwa Ibom.

This led to the door of the aircraft being shut as the President’s wife retreated and waited inside for another 25 minutes before the senator’s wife was persuaded to stop further attempts to ridicule the state by her actions.

Once normalcy was restored, the aircraft doors were opened once again as Mrs. Buhari stepped down to a warm embrace of Mrs. Emmanuel, who introduced her to other Akwa Ibom women at the airport to receive her.

Speaking at the reception ground along Four-Lanes Uyo, the First Lady Mrs. Aisha Buhari, said her pet project, Future Assured, has been involved in training and empowerment of women across the six geo-political zones.

According to her, “the programme is designed to assist women and youths to involve in economic activities. The programme of women empowerment cannot be overemphasized,” she said, while commending the NDE for their forward looking approach to the empowerment of Nigerians and charged participants to submit themselves to the training in order to become grounded in their area of training.

In his remarks, the former Senate Minority leader, Chief Godswill Akpabio commended Mr. President for his transformative policies, adding that, many of them left the PDP because of the President’s transformative programme including reducing corruption and reducing over 500 accounts used by the FG to one and introduction of social intervention programmes.

Earlier, the Director General of NDE, Dr. Nasir Arugungu, disclosed that the directorate has empowered over 11,600 Akwa Ibom women and youths as part of the All Progressives Congress (APC) empowerment programme.

In his keynote address, he said that, out of the 11, 600, the wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari has unanimously sponsored 3000 women, adding that, over 1000 women that would be trained on cosmetology would received N40, 000 each, while N5000 starter pack would be given to the youths.

He said that the programme was sponsored in collaboration with the Senator representing Akwa Ibom North West, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, explaining that, the beneficiaries were selected through a transparent and apolitical process by the NDE, saying the gesture is part of the government efforts to improve on the socio economic wellbeing of its citizens.