By Yusuf Abubakar.
Immediate past Kogi state first lady, Hajiya Halima Ladi Wada stole the show at this year’s Igala Women of Substance Awards at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
The former first lady bagged the prestigious merit award for her passion and genuineness in charity and empowerment in and out of office.
According to the organisers, the awards was to encourage other women who will be privileged, to emulate the good virtues and life touching activities of the former governor’s wife.
Mrs Halima Wada made a foray into the political scene during the first term of her husband, Capt Idris Wada. Through her pet project, Kogi Women Empowerment Network (KOWEN), she impacted the lives of women and the less privileged in the society greatly.
Mrs Wada has provided shelter, mobility and sustenance through her Food Outreach for Widows, Orphans and Disabled (FOWOD) that has criss-crossed the entire 21 local government areas of the state with special care to people with special needs and the downtrodden in the society.
The former Kogi first lady also delved into skill acquisition and vocational training by creating an enabling environment for Kogi women to learn tie and dye, tailoring, encourage women in the production of palm oil, fish production, through the establishment of modern equipment to facilitate production of red oil and fish production simultaneously in Ikanekpo and Idah.
She explored the experts of FIIRO Oshodi and Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Department of fishery, to train and empower in both skills through donation of take off grants, starter packs and other essentials to women of the state.
Mrs Wada also donated over 200 modern sewing machines to women trainees in tailoring that have in turn opened up shops and engaged so many apprentice. She also donated 250 wheelchairs to the disabled, not leaving out orphanages and hospitals in Kogi state.
Hajiya Wada has engaged in offsetting of medical bills and treatment of people and children with special needs. She adopted twins, triplets, quadruplets and quintuplets given birth to by families who were unable to cater for them, both in Kogi and Abuja.
The former first lady of Kogi state has also been engaged in routine visits and constant consultation to motherless and orphanages, quaranic schools and beggars location within and outside the state. She donated food stuffs and cash along with offsetting of hospital bills of indigent patients in the hospitals.
Mrs Wada also addressed the health needs of the people of the state through the collaboration of her pet program with the Nigerian Nurses In North America (NNANA) and organised a 3-days free rural medical outreach and capacity building workshop in the state where free drugs, equipment and reagents were donated to people and hospitals across the state.
Hajiya Halima Wada embarked on series of empowerment through donation of cash and fertilizer to encourage women farmers, grinding machines, dryers, generators, food and clothes to detach them from poverty level and improve their economic status and activities through macro and micro economic enterprise, after training and workshop by professionals.
Hajiya Halima Ladi Wada was known for her desire to improve the natural condition by greening the environment through tree planting, establishment of moringa farms, rice farms, soya beans, cassava and cassava flour that metamorphosed into production of flower chips, massive production of garri and other essentials.
Mrs Wada will be the first former Kogi governor’s wife that will be honoured by a well recognised body for her stint and desire to uplift the downtrodden in the society.
In her reaction to the award, Mrs Wada said she is encouraged to do more for the upliftment of the downtrodden in the society. She promised to continue to do anything humanly possible to bridge the wide gap between the privileged and the less privileged in the society.
Hajiya Halima Wada urged other well meaning individuals in the society to assist those in dire need so as to encourage equality and discourage discrimination in all strata of the society.
She promised to do more for the betterment of the people if given another privilege in the nearest future.
