Mbah Seeks Women’s Inclusion in Building a Better Nation

Gideon Arinze in Enugu

Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, has underscored the need for the inclusion of women in social development, peace and nation-building in the country.

Mbah made the call yesterday in Enugu, at the 3rd Annual Conference of Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo (NNII), a pan-Igbo socio-cultural group which was held in Enugu with the theme: ‘Women, a unifying force in peace building.’

In his address, Mbah who was represented by the Deputy Governor of the state, Ifeanyi Ossai, observed that women have been veritable tools for societal development, insisting that more partnerships with them on issues concerning society could only engender success and progress.

The governor maintained that gone were the days when women were relegated to the backwaters of societal affairs, subjugated and maltreated by their male counterparts, noting that if posterity would forgive the forefathers for engaging in such acts out of ignorance, the present generation would not be forgiven should they resort in such act.

“When we talk of the capacity and ability of women to build our community, local government, and the country, anyone who pretends that it is not true is only paying lip service to the reality that we all have to face,” he said. “Most of the developments in the communities are the product of the women’s August meetings,” he added.

In her welcome address, the Founder and President General of Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo, Josephine Anenih, regretted that things were deteriorating in Igbo land, as all that is seen on a daily basis are tears, sorrows, and blood.

She  bemoaned that women are the greatest victims of the insecurity wreaking havoc in the Igbo land.

Anenih recalled that the Igbo children whom they saw as the hope for the future were all running away from home and those who remained were roaming the streets due to unemployment, while those in faraway places who wanted to invest in their land were reluctant to come home because of insecurity.

“We have sadly looked on, but it is obvious we all need a team spirit for the wrongs to be righted, “she said. “We must all look in the mirror to see what ails us and how we can partner for the progress of the third tripod in a Nigeria that seems to be at a crossroads, politically, economically, and socio-culturally,” she added.

She maintained that it had become imperative to quickly address the insecurity that has made the South-east region lose billions of naira.

In her address, the Chairperson of the group’s Board of Trustees, Regina Amadi-Njoku, maintained that conversations such as this are borne out of the fact there is a need for speedy healing of Igbo land, as no society developed without security, justice and peace.

She noted that women are the daughters, wives, and mothers that fuel the informal sector, yet they become the biggest victims of the dysfunctional formal sector where modern development seems to have excluded their input, assuring that the conference would enable them to rub minds, proffer solutions in unison as they harness the ideas of men and women.