Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa,
has said that the contributions of United Kingdom-based legal
practitioner and rights activist, Mrs Alice Ukoko, especially to the
fight against harmful cultural practices against women in Africa are
etched firmly in the sands of time.
Reacting on Monday to the reported death
of the founder of ‘Women of Afrika’ charity in a London hospital on
Saturday, November 19, 2016, Okowa noted that her contributions,
particularly to the fight against female circumcision, otherwise
referred to as female genital mutilation, as well as “her commitment to
the empowerment of the women of Africa” stood her out in bold relief as a
great African woman.
Ukoko’s “vision for the future of women
in the Africa Diaspora and around the World” was outstanding, the
governor further noted in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary
(CPS), Mr Charles Aniagwu.
She created and directed the drama, “The
African Maiden”, to draw attention to the irreversible damage certain
cultural beliefs and practices do to the African girl-child.
Ukoko, who hailed from Uzere in Isoko
South Local Government Area of Delta State, was an activist for women’s
rights and political liberation.
A one-time governorship aspirant in
Delta State, her activism saw her being featured as a guest on several
radio and television programmes, especially in the Uk.
“On behalf of the government and people
of Delta State, I mourn the exit of the iconic Mrs Alice Ukoko who
fought against harmful traditional practices against women and the
girl-child”, Aniagwu quoted Okowa as saying.
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