By Yemisi Suleiman

Her Excellency Bishop Dr. (Mrs) Eyoanwan Bassey Otu is a leading light in Cross River State, known for her compassion, intellect, and dedication to her community.

As the wife of the Governor, she’s a trailblazer championing women, youth, and children initiatives.

With multiple degrees, including two master’s degrees, and a Ph.D. in progress, her professional career spans over three decades, with significant positions in state and federal civil service, culminating in her role as General Manager of Administration at the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority. But what truly sets her apart is her humanitarian work, founding strong initiatives that have transformed countless lives through healthcare, education, and social welfare programs.

As part of this year’s commemoration of International Women’s Day, IWD, she speaks candidly to Allure on her life in government, her humanitarian initiatives, and her unwavering commitment to empowering the women and youths of Cross River State.

What has your experience been like as the wife of a public figure?
The experience has been that I have no life anymore. I live selflessly, balancing family, church, society, and governance. It is not easy, but with God, I do my best.

That brings us to your projects as First Lady of Cross River, what inspired the Mother and childcare kit, free medical outreach?

The inspiration came from my passion for serving women, youth, and children. As wife of the governor, I had to concentrate on women, youth, and children and what would impact them especially women.
I considered pregnant women and those who are just starting their journey into motherhood. Then, the inspiration came to me, and I came up with a box that we called the “Maria Ake Kit.” We included various essential items in the box for newborns and mothers: items like sanitary towels, detols, surgical scissors, babies diapers, six yards of wrappers and the likes, with a little cash gift. So, it’s a whole package for the baby and mother.

How has this been received by the people?

The reception has been amazing. We have received numerous testimonies. You can easily see it on the faces of the women; some even cry when they share their stories. All the prayers, which I believe have taken me this far, will continue to guide me.

There have been many positive outcomes.
What about the medical outreach?

I am passionate about medical outreaches.
We have have conducted five outreach programs so far and performed hundreds of surgeries. In total, we have completed around 700 surgeries because I know that it’s only healthy persons that will enjoy the dividends of governance. Health matters are a top priority for me.

How do you assess the impact of your initiatives?

We measure success by the feedback we receive and the communities we aimed to reach.
We have 196 wards across the state and 18 Local Governments. I always think about reaching out to all areas.
I don’t like to concentrate on just one area because I am from the South. After implementing our initiatives, we go back for feedback. We have monitoring and evaluation teams that gather the feedback.
From time to time, we also hold town hall meetings, which we are planning to do around Easter. We gather feedback from testimonies and interviews. After we conduct our initiatives, we also interview the people to collect their feedback.

You also have the “Who Deserves a Limb” initiative. Can you tell us about it?

The initiative is for people who need artificial limbs – prostheses. I aim to give them life and hope. I want them to know that their lives are not over. If you provide them with limbs, they can go about their normal lives and businesses and I believe it is making a difference. We even have another one in the pipeline.

The Theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, is Accelerate Action, how does this resonate with the women of Cross River State?

You know, whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. Whatever you have to do, do it speedily. There is no point dwelling on one thing forever. So, whatever we can do, we will do it.
It’s an all-inclusive government here and we strive to bring women into the fold, promoting inclusivity and all of that. So, I believe we must act swiftly in everything we do.
Time is of the essence. By the time you wake up and look at your calendar, the day is gone.

How did you mark this year’s International Women’s Day in the State?

We had empowerment for women where we provided agricultural tools, seedlings, and financial support to women. I am focused on giving them a source of livelihood.
For those who are farmers, we provided them with resources. For those who want to get into poultry, we gave them day-old chicks and five bags of feed. For farmers, we provided seedlings and pesticides. For those involved in fishery, we provided fingerlings and feed.
We tailor our support based on what they want to do. This aligns with our theme of accelerated action. We are taking action by providing resources based on their areas of specialisation or interests.
We are also considering getting them registered as companies with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, for their businesses and then grant them access to a loan of five million Naira per person. We even have some cooperative societies registered in clusters.

As First Lady of the state, what do you miss most about your private life?

I don’t even have a life anymore; my life is controlled by security aides. They don’t want you to talk to anybody. They don’t want you to hug anyone. They don’t even want you to eat your food in peace. You can’t even stop on the road to buy corn; that is not allowed. If you go to a party, you can’t dance, drink, or shout. You don’t have a life; they live your life for you.

What are some of your hobbies?
I enjoy dancing, chatting, cooking, and traveling. I do enjoy making people laugh and cracking jokes.

Do you still cook for your husband?
I do. I cooked a few days ago, and my people were surprised, because only the chefs usually cook, but I am somebody’s wife for crying out loud. Before the chefs came, I had been doing that. So, once in a while, I like to cook, and he was equally very excited to eat my food. I believe as a woman, no matter how busy you are, you must find time to cook for your husband.

So, when you are not working, how do you relax?

When I’m not working? In fact, do I relax? I don’t really relax, but if I have to, I enjoy cracking jokes with friends and sometimes, I dance. I enjoy dancing a lot.

You must like music?
Oh, of course, I do.

What kind of music do you like?
I enjoy both secular and gospel music. As long as it sounds good, I’m in.

When you were growing up, who had the most impact on your life?

My father! My dad was my sweetheart. I lost him though, but my mom is still alive and doing well.

What would you say life has taught you as a person?

Life has taught me not to look down on anyone but to see life as it is because you don’t know what tomorrow holds. It may be your turn today, and tomorrow it could be someone else’s turn.
You might look at someone and think they are hopeless, but you don’t know how things could turn around. So, keep hoping against hope. Hold on to God, pray and believe in Him and then, love your neighbour as yourself. Be kind to everyone; those you meet on your way up, because you will definitely meet them on your way down.
Also, as you enter a door, don’t slam it behind you because you may need to go through that door again. You might be unlucky and encounter the very people who want to pay you back for your past actions. Life has simply taught me to live.

So how do you stay grounded and connected to your people?
I am the founder of the Market Women Global Initiative, which includes about 24,000 women. I’m also the patron of Team Adiaga.
It’s a very formidable team where we support each other.
I reach out to them in many diverse ways, through the church, through these initiatives, and different committees. I also go to my village every January 1st and stay until about the 5th. I spend a whole week there. During that time, I conduct health interventions for my people.
I send people to other locations to ensure they receive assistance. I also send teams to very remote areas where others have never attempted to go.
In addition, we also connect with them, particularly through medical outreaches and school interventions. We have adopted some schools.
We provide everything a child needs to go to school; uniforms, shoes, books, everything. We aim to reach over 7,000 children annually. We also conduct skills acquisition programs where we teach people various skills.
We focus on girls in STEM education. We have trained over 6,000 girls in STEM, and I have even proposed to include boys this time, so we can reach youth in general. In all of these efforts, we are touching lives.

What plans do you have to ensure their sustainability even after you leave office?

I preach sustainability. Yes, I advocate for sustainability. So Humanity Without Borders has come to stay. I will ensure it continues. That’s why we are putting things in place. We have developed a strategic plan and are partnering with international organisations for sustainability.

With regards to IWD, What will be your message for women?

My message is that they should not feel inferior. Without women, nothing works. We are the bridges; we are the necks. Without women, there is no politics. They can’t even win an election. The last time I checked on the ratio was 1,000 women to one man.
So, without women, nothing works. My message to them is to stay focused, remain resilient, and know that they are important and relevant. Without them, nothing functions properly.

Tell us a bit about your background; what was growing up like for you?

I was born in Calabar on April 10, 1961, into a Christian family of six, and I happened to be the first daughter. I am a true believer in the gospel, a devoted Christian, and a preacher as well.
I am married to His Excellency Prince Bassey Otu, the Governor of Cross River State, and we have five children. He is a devoted Christian, principled, disciplined, and a true leader. He is also a very courageous and a handsome man—hence the name “Sweet Prince” and “the sweetest of them all.” His leadership has ushered in what we call, the “season of sweetness,” which is evident in the faces of all Cross Riverians. It is indeed an era of sweetness, and everybody is enjoying this season because of the kind of person he is and his mantra.

How did you meet your husband?

I met him in the way one typically meets a man. We lived in the same environment; he was my childhood friend. Of course, destiny brought us together. By divine providence, we became not just husband and wife but also close friends. He is my confidant and gossip partner, and we share so much in common.