Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State is one of the few political office holders that have used their privileged positions to positively influence the living conditions of the millions of rural and urban poor because of the enormity of the propeople as well as pro-poor development-oriented programmes that have either been completed or are at the process of completion. The few other governors that have received positive accolades for their progressive programmes aimed at lifting the millions of severely disadvantaged citizens from poverty-stricken status to better selves include but are not limited to the Governors of Anambra, Lagos and Ekiti States. That of Ekiti State has also transformed political governance to a different radical level whereby the welfare of the elderly citizens has become one of the strategic concerns of the state government. Ekiti State, under Governor Kayode Fayemi, has started paying handsome monthly stipends to retired elderly persons and even senior citizens who were never into any paid government employment before reaching the peak of their retirement ages. I am aware that in Osun State also, the current administration has introduced a youth-oriented programme aimed at providing 20,000 unemployed younger citizens with gainful self-employment and in Oyo State, the government was reported to have provided over 25,000 jobs to graduates. In Cross River State under Imoke, rural transformation has become the key cornerstone of his administration so much so that the state government has successfully completed rural road network to link the rural areas whereby agricultural produce are conveyed to the urban areas. The transformational activities of the governor are, however, not the priority of this piece but rather to highlight the innovative and human rights-oriented projects kick-started by the wife of the governor of Cross River State, Mrs. Obioma Liyel Imoke. I will in my next write-up highlight some achievements and prospects and even challenges facing the administration of Imoke who has come under some mischievous and politically motivated attack by some detractors bent on destabilising the progressive delivery of democracy dividends that are ongoing in Cross River State. Since the assumption of office about four years ago, Imoke has had the good luck that he married a woman who truly has the milk of human kindness running through her veins so much so that the woman introduced an innovative health-related programme called BREATH OF LIFE which has radically promoted a community-directed approach to preventing and controlling pneumonia. This initiative is unique and excellent in a way that this is the first time that a wife of a politically exposed person has used her privileged position to advance the health challenge of majority of the poor persons unlike others who would just go into certain mundane initiatives that have no bearing on the health conditions of millions of indigent citizens who are dying in their millions from seemingly avoidable and treatable diseases like malaria, cholera or pneumonia. She clearly understands that pneumonia is a common disease that is often fatal at the extremes of life. She knows from her studies that pneumonia is acknowledged as the single leading cause of death in children worldwide. She realises that every year, pneumonia kills an estimated 1.6 million children under five years old worldwide. A highly educated woman, she is aware that pneumonia is most prevalent in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa with about 13.5million of these cases severe enough to be life-threatening and require hospitalisation. Nigeria records the highest death rate from pneumonia in Africa and the World Health Organisation's 2009 report states that 177,000 children die every year in Nigeria from pneumonia, translating to 20 deaths every hour. Mrs. Imoke's health initiative-BREATH OF LIFE, has therefore arrived at a time that Nigerian children need immediate effective health safety nets to prevent them from dying in their prime and to live to contribute positively towards the progress of Nigeria. The is aimed primarily at increasing awareness of pneumonia as a major cause of deaths globally and particularly, childhood morbidity and mortality among stakeholders and other strategic mandates, to provide training for health workers on the safe administration of pneumonia vaccines; to provide logistics, support and supportive supervision for project implementation. Several advocacy activities at the local government level have been carried out by this platform in collaboration with the Cross River State Government. As promoters of human rights which also includes the Right To Life, the Human Rights Writers' Association of Nigeria is proud of the achievements of Mrs. Imoke in promoting the right to good and quality health for the rural poor in Cross River State.'Mr. Onwubiko heads the Human Rights Writers' Association Of Nigeria.
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