Umahi extends empowerment scheme to wives of policemen

The Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Nweze Umahi, has extended
his administration’s empowerment programme to police officers wives.in
the state. He announced this during Christmas party organized for the
officers and men of the state command in Abakaliki. Engr. Umahi, who
noted that government would not ask police officers on duty to join in
his rice cultivation programme, said their wives should key into his
women empowerment scheme in order to reduce over dependence on the
salaries of their husbands.

“There is no way we can ask   police officers on duty to come and
cultivate rice or go and do training for empowerment but we offer to
partner their wives,” the governor said in a statement issued by his
spokesman, Emma Anya, on Tuesday. He added, “Your wives can actually
hold your homes. They can make up for the differences in your wages if
they   engage in our empowerment programme. We can agree on what and
what your wives can   be doing so that we can support them; so that
at the end of the day, they can be one of the pillars of your
respective homes, This, I believe will reduce financial challenges,
friction and tension in your homes. Umahi, who said the visit/party
for the   officers and men    was to celebrate the Yuletide with them,
lauded them for their commitment to combating crimes in the state. He
explained that his administration’s provision of social amenities for
them in their barracks was because of their efforts in sustaining
peace in the state.

He added, “I want to appeal to the Commissioner of Police to call the
herdsmen for a meeting. There are so many cases of herdsmen. You’ve
done extremely well and I have told the police headquarters of how you
have been trying to solve the problem of herdsmen in the state. But
it is like they are reneging on the agreement we made in this place
and so we have to call them back for us to review the agreement.”

The governor, who noted that the living environment of the policemen
was not too healthy, immediately approved the release of fund for the
relocation of septic tanks in the barracks.

Apart from ordering removal and replacement of windows of their
apartments, Umahi directed that the barracks should be decorated to
reflect the mood of the season.

He also donated bags of rice and tubers of yam to the officers and men.

Earlier, the State Police Commissioner, Mrs Peace. Ibekwe- Abdallah,
had said that Governor Umahi had been of great support to the
command as he had reconstructed the internal roads in the barracks
and provided street light and water for the officers and men.

She eulogised the governor for providing enabling environment for the
police in the state to perform their constitutional responsibility of
checking crimes.