‘My name is no more Patience but now Mama Peace,’ says Nigeria’s First Lady

 

Wife of the Nigerian President, Dame Patience Jonathan declared that she now wishes to be called Mama Peace instead of Patience.

She made the statement on Friday December 13th at the formal launch of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) of Maternal and Child Health Programme otherwise known as MAMA Project, held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa,

She said that the change of name follows her decision to henceforth preach peace to bring an end to militancy and terrorist activities in the country.

She disclosed that her Non-Governmental Organisation, Women for Change Initiative will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with some international hospitals to build, equip and manage one of the best hospitals for women and children in Africa. She added that the hospital is near completion.

Mrs. Jonathan, observing that women and children were her primary focus, said it was her concern and interest in their well being that made her go in search of help from international partners to establish the best women and children’s hospital in Africa.

Read an excerpt from her speech below;

“That was why I went in search of help, that is why soon I’m going to sign an MOU with some international hospitals to build one of the best hospitals here in Nigeria that will be the best in Africa. The hospital is almost completed and will soon be equipped and then our international partners will run it to provide the best medical care to our women and children.
My name is no more Patience but now Mama Peace. Because I believe without peace there will be no more women, no more children and no more health sector. Without peace our international community will be afraid to come and invest in our country.
Peace is from the heart, it is not from the tongue or lips, not what you say but what is inner you (sic). We pray for genuine peace because it is the key to our arriving at our desired destination as a nation.
We are approaching the new year, which is a year of peace, progress and so many good to come. A year of no militancy nor Boko Haram because God will shower peace and make us take a u-turn from disaster.
As you are aware, complications related to pregnancy and child birth are among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in women of reproductive age in developing countries – Nigeria is no exception.
Available statistics show that every minute, a woman dies of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth.
In Nigeria, experts say it is one in 15, which means that one out of every 15 woman who gives birth will die of pregnancy-related causes.
SURE-P MCH will not only increase ante-natal care attendance by 52 per cent, but will also increase skilled birth attendance by 63 per cent and postnatal care by 63 per cent
The country has two per cent of the world’s population but accounts for 10 per cent of global maternal and under-five deaths.
However, the good news is that, current figures from the National Bureau of Statistics indicate appreciable reduction in maternal mortality ratio from 545 per 100,000 live births to 350 per 100,000 live births.
I am happy to learn that the SURE-P MCH will not only increase ante-natal care attendance by 52 per cent, but will also increase skilled birth attendance by 63 per cent and postnatal care by 63 per cent.”
She enumerated the benefits to include better infrastructure and increased human resources to encourage greater use of health care services. Upgrade of community dispensaries to Primary Health Care centres and greater involvement of more local health workers.
Direct beneficiaries will be pregnant women and newborns, and conditional cash transfers of N5,000 to mothers, who make 4 antenatal care visits, are delivered by skilled birth attendants and make immediate postnatal care visit.”