Am Now the Mother of Ebonyi

June 18, 2009 afternoon: Late this afternoon, I was made a Chief today for the fourth time while serving in Nigeria. This time it was in Ebonyi State following my meeting with the Governor of the state, and during my meeting with his dynamic wife and the council of traditional rulers. I am now also Ndeoma of Ebonyi, mother of Ebonyi, in recognition of the support the American people have provided to the state in health. The USG, through USAID and an implementing partner, has provided resources, equipment and training to a clinic that was built and supplied by the First Lady of Ebonyi. I had an opportunity to visit the clinic and see the operating rooms for VVF repair. The First Lady has done a magnificent job as she allows women from other states to benefit from the clinic, and the head (and at one time only) surgeon should be commended for doing nearly 15 VVF surgeries a day. All in all it has been a busy couple of days covering all this while answering emails, clearing thank you letters for those who had participated in the June 9-10 agricultural event, and approving cables back to Washington on top of monitoring events in the Niger Delta. I must say the Blackberry (r) is a wonderful thing.