•The Story Of Her Excellency
A first lady that has made tremendous efforts in uplifting the lives of the people of Taraba State, especially women and youths is Her Excellency Bar. Anna Darius Ishaku wife of the Governor of Taraba State, North East Nigeria. This woman of note has achieved so much in the last two years, no wonder she is loved by her people.
Shortly, after the emergence of her husband as the Executive Governor of Taraba State, Anna Darius Ishaku established “The Hope a Fresh Foundation” her pet programme, focusing on Women, Youth, Children Physically Challenged and Vulnerable, particularly the unreached, all in a bid to impact positively on their livelihood. Anna, as she is fondly called, has engaged in several activities to allocate the suffering of the indigenes of Taraba.
Her passion to uplift the living conditions of the people of the state led to her engaging with both public and private organisations on Skill Acquisition and Empowerment amongst Women and Youths of the state. This drive, saw her partnering with NDE, Taraba State University, MTN amongst others, to Train and Empower them. Having accomplished this feat, she stretched her hand to medicals through organising of free medical interventions to her people, this intervention such as free diagnosis, consultation, medication and free operations in some cases and settling Hospital bills for some indigent patients in the state.
We will not fail to mention the free scholarship granted to the state students studying nursing and midwifery to overcome the health care challenges of the state. And in some rural area’s she commissioned traditional birth attendants TBA to reduce the rate of medical and child mortality e.g in Ndola Community which historically is believed to live in the mountainous region for over a thousand years.
In her approach to secure the grassroot, this Law graduate of ABU Zaria has individually sponsored the payment of stipends to local vigilante’s in the state, no other Governor’s wife in Nigeria has done this. These she has done with the support of the Governor Arch Darius Ishaku.
“The Hope Afresh Foundation”, has done a lot in rescuing the people of the state from its present state of poverty and lack of development, while making sure the presence of Government is felt across all nooks and crannies of the state, no wonder the people of the state has honoured her with the title of “Mother of the Motherless”, because of her untiring efforts, and passion to make a difference in the lives of her people.
She regularly engages stakeholders in meetings on short and long term measures to address pressing needs of the people. Anna Isyaku, who was once the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary Ministry of Justice Kaduna State 1997, and later Chief Registrar of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice (2002) has continually donated food items and clothes to over 4000 IDP’s, drawn from Wukari, Ibi, Gashaka, Kurmi and Bali and camped at Kungana, Bali Local Government, Area.
Her Excellency, is an enigma, she has attracted the attention of the Canadian Government and UNICEF to ‘Hard to Reach” Communities in Taraba, which has addressed the health care inequalities of these communities which has put them on the global map. Words may not be enough to describe the achievements of Barr. Anna Darius Ishaku, who was once the chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyer’s (FIDA).
