Perpetua Egesimba

Recently, members of the Lagos State Women’s Wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo came together in Lagos to campaign for the education of the girl-child and women empowerment, which they said would drive socio-economic development.

The event was the inauguration and global launch of Egwu Ndi Igbo Jiri Biri and awards to notable Igbo men and women and their friends, and it was well attended by several dignitaries.

Leader of Ohanaeze Women’s Wing, Lagos, Mrs. Violet Uche Obiora, said the organisation would seek to foster the longevity and success of all Igbo by way of empowering women.

According to her, the group was planning to establish skills centres that would serve as the main driver of the empowerment initiatives.

“Igbo women would be able to participate in activities that would get them trained in different skills and which would make them owners of businesses. Such skills like soap-making, tailoring and computer literacy would be taught there,” she said.

Mrs. Obiora also talked about about other projects, including the Bright Sparks initiative, a project through which school fees would be subsidised and which would support bright children from low-income homes by creating a scholarship fund, seed money for business and annual budgets for them, among others.

In her speech, music star, Onyeka Onwenu, advised the women to have confidence in themselves, insisting that they owed no one any apology for being women.

“My mother taught me to be proud of being a woman, an Igbo woman and a child of God,” she said. 

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While urging men to always support their wives’ ambitions, she said: “A supportive man is an example of what an Igbo man should be – a man who stands by his wife and does not feel threatened is a man. 

“During Obasanjo’s regime, when he appointed so many women in office, they were the best performing ministers. Women, wherever you are, do not allow anybody to pull you down. The men need us and we need and love them. Let us also not forget the girl-child.”

Onwenu expressed happiness over the skills acquisition centre that Ohanaeze Women promised to establish, pledging to honour their call whenever called upon to train the women.

Vice president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Sylvanus Ebigwei, who represented the president-general of Ohanaeze, Chief Nnia Nwodo, said he was proud of the womenfolk for the successful induction of the new executive members, noting that the cordiality, success and unity of the women were noteworthy.

He advised the new executive to keep their hands clean and not pursue money like politicians: “They should not disgrace us by pursuing money, thereby sacrificing their integrity and decorum. I would admonish them to do that which is right, organise the women and also make sure that they vote right.”

President-general Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos, Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, while extolling the women, said they had done well and made the men proud.

“Our women have our support to do anything they want. We have modified our rules in Ohanaeze that women should play their part. That is why they have the right to have their own plan. We have realised the importance of women. Sometimes, there are areas that the men cannot handle but it is easy and possible for women to handle. I wish the new executives well and urge them to be upright,” he said.

Eze Ndigbo Ibeju-Lekki, Chris Ofia, described the event as fantastic and colourful: “It shows that the Igbo know their values and what they represent. They should work hard and move forward. I have no doubts that they will actualise and complete the projects they have embarked upon.

“I advise the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Women’s Wing to always stay focused for the success of our Igbo women.”