Jude Chinedu, Geoffery Anyanwu, Enugu; Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki; Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Aloysius Attah, Onitsha; Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri and Ogbonnaya Ndukwe, Aba
This year’s edition of August meeting; the annual home coming of Igbo women, was disrupted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. One remarkable setback was that even where it took place, the women were unable to meet their financial obligations. With this, their developmental project targets in the various communities, villages and churches would suffer accordingly.
Regardless, the recent surge in cases of gender-based violence especially rape in Nigeria and in the South East, attracted their attention. It was focus of this year’s meeting.
Women Aid Collective (WACOL), a gender-based rights group said it received a total of 153 cases of rape and other abuses between June and July this year alone. Disturbed by the ugly development, Umuada Igbo Nigeria and Diaspora, an association of Igbo women took a definite stand to stamp out violence and rape in Igbo land.
Its president general and founder, Mrs Kate Ezeofor, said: “The group will continue to be in the forefront in the fight against rape through advocacy and enlightenment. Government should ensure that women are protected as victims often live with the scar for the rest of their lives.
“I am calling on the federal and state governments to really see what they can do to reduce this rape saga. It is causing a lot of damage to the society. The victims live with the trauma all their lives. The government must come in and tackle this issue once and for all.
“Government should provide jobs for youths who are loitering even after graduating from universities. Government should open up industries and training centres to keep the youths busy. Youths should stop raping women, girls and children because if they place a curse on you, you will never succeed in life.
“The position of Umuada Igbo is that rapists should be jailed. I do not subscribe to extreme punishments such as castration or death sentence. I think serving a jail term should be enough punishment.”
She advised youths to desist from indulging in rape or any other form of abuse but “be gainfully employed. Do not wait for government job. Put your certificate in your pocket, one day it will be useful.
“With your certificate, whatever trade you want to engage in, your certificate will make it better. People should stop waiting for government to give them job. Make sure you have a degree if you can afford it but find something you should do.”
Ezeofor attributed a large number of rape cases to indecent dressing: “For women, young girls and children, dress properly. Do not expose your body, which is supposed to be covered. Boys, men, practice self-discipline. Parents do not allow your children of opposite sex to sleep on the same bed.
“There is one thing I have noticed. These days, girls of two years or three years wear what is called spaghetti. A child growing and you are allowing the person dress anyhow. Dressing is not all that easy. When you train your child; it will be easier for them to learn to dress well. Your children should be used to dressing well.
“Some of us women do not dress well both in the house and in public; some of us when we are walking in public, the whole laps will be showing. Then you meet some funny guys, there’s bound to be problem. Even dressing like that in front of our children is not even healthy because human beings are made differently. I am calling on women including myself to start dressing properly.”
On men in the habit of wife battery: “If I see a husband beating his wife, I feel it is a psychological problem. He is not even man enough. When you see your fellow men, go there and show your strength. You know your wife is the weaker sex and you start beating her to submission, it all stems from home training.”
August meeting in states
Anambra
For Catholic women in Onitsha Archdiocese, Anambra State, they normally hold August meeting at parish level before the grand finale at the Archdiocesan level. The parishes in urban areas would hold first in July before the rural parishes take off in the various communities in August.
They wanted to cancel the meeting entirely this year, before a last minute approval from the Archdiocese to hold the event same day in its jurisdiction. Instead of the normal three days that such meetings lasted before, it was reduced to a day event holding only on a Saturday.
There were no ceremonies like march past, sack race, drama, funfair and other spiritual exercises associated with August meeting. With the theme, “Role of mothers in ending the vicious cycle of sexual violence in the families,” Director, Catholic Women Organisation (CWO), Onitsha Archdiocese, Dame Ngozi Nwanosike, urged women to end all manners of gender violence in their various homes.
She urged parents, especially mothers to know their children’s feelings and needs: “Do not compare your children with others, every child is unique. To be a mother is a gift, but a good Christian mother is a blessing. Cultivate a skill to resolve your children’s feelings and conflicts.”
Organiser, Awada Zonal CWO, Mrs Ifeoma Onwugharam, disclosed that this year’s August Meeting was observed at zonal executive level in adherence to the Church and government directives: “Some community parishes that organised themselves according to the COVID-19 protocols and with the approval of their home Bishops and priests still held their own meeting.
“Some of these parishes made contingency arrangements for their travel and other project targets to accomplish. But the reality on ground was that most targets could not be met again because COVID-19 scattered almost everything.”
Also, Mrs Josephine Nwobi from Umuoji in Anambra State said it was only the executives that met to discuss and set agenda for next year: “Some of the projects that we intended to embark upon this year were shelved and shifted till next year.”
But a woman leader of Basilica of St. Andrew, Anglican Communion, Onitsha Mrs Chinyere Osakwe, noted that the women were battling to provide food and could not afford to hold this year’s meeting.
Imo
The programme in Imo State was also greatly hampered by the effects of coronavirus. In Ihiagwa and Dindi Ihiagwa communities in Owerri West Local Government, the event was shelved by the women. A former president general of Ihiagwa community, Emeka Nkwoada said:
“This year there is no sign at all. You don’t have to ask me you to know coronavirus pandemic affected every facet of life, and the August meeting is no different.” The case was not different at Umuohiagwu community in Ngor Okpala Local Government.
However, Umuaka women in Njaba Local Government held the annual event at St Mary’s Catholic Church. The activities lasted for five days and climaxed with a thanksgiving service on Sunday. Many of the women living outside the community were not able to participate, but some of them fulfilled their financial obligations.
Enugu
In Enugu State, wife of an Anglican priest, Mrs Adaku Agu, lamented the adverse effect of COVID-19 to their arrangements for the meeting this year. She attended the meeting at St. Peters Church, Amaji Umuabi in Udi Diocese:
“The poor attendance affected even our fund raising programme. We had the fellowship yes, but financially we did not get much because those at home had little or nothing to give. It actually affected our project for the year. We did the little we could and left the rest. It is when you have the fund that you will execute your projects”
On the observance of COVID-19 rules, she said facilities for hand washing and sanitizing were made available: “We were surprised about the villagers. We found out that they are not used to this facemask thing. In fact, when you come in with it from the township at a time you will be forced to remove it because you will be like a stranger.”
Another woman leader who hails from Nwafija in Orumba, Anambra State, but lives in Enugu, said: “In our place, we have big year and small year. In small years, we send delegates with all the executives. This year is small year and with the situation on ground we decided to send one delegate each to come down with their money as much as they will be able to collect. We used to have the meeting two days for both the church and the villages but this year we had it for one day. The money for our projects was collected as much as we could in the present circumstance.”
Abia
In Umuosu and Umuode communities in Umunna Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa North Council Area of Abia State, their gathering was low-key. President-General, Nzuko Oganiru Umunwanyi Umuosu Umunna Nsulu, Mrs Nkechi Adiuku, represented by the General Secretary, Mrs Chikaodi Ukoh, told Daily Sun that though there was no crowd gathering in this year’s August meeting, the leadership in consultation with all branch leaders decided to continue their on going developmental programmes.
She enumerated their achievements this to include building houses for five indigent women in the community and settling burial expenses of one of their daughters whose families were unable to do so.