From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
Wife of Nigeria’s first President, Prof Uche Azikiwe, has called on Igbo women to go fully into politics, just as their male counterpart.
Prof Azikiwe made this call at a one-day international Igbo women’s conference organised by Ohanaeze Igbo Women Organisation Worldwide, in collaboration with Ezumezu Ndigbo Women Organisation Worldwide, in Nnewi, Anambra State.
She urged the women not to be afraid to contest elections with men, and advised them to exploit their numerical strength to achieve their political goal in the country.
“If you cannot come out, support whoever that comes out among the women. And, we must pressurise the National Assembly to approve the 35 per cent representation we demanded,” Mrs. Azikiwe, who was an award recipient at the event, said.
Also speaking, leader of Ohanaeze women organisation, Mrs. Calista Adimachukwu, quoting the late Dr Nwafor Orizu, said to educate the mind is to liberate it from darkness.
She said people perish because of lack of knowledge, and pointed out that it was based on that premise the awareness conference was organised.
“Not too long ago, the issue of 35 per cent affirmative quota to women for appointive and elective positions was rejected by the National Assembly. If women could be made to understand how relevant they are in the socio-political landscape of this country, I believe they will see the need for them to come together and remain united in their efforts towards securing their voice in the decision-making process of this country.
“However, there are salient and mind-boggling issues I must not fail to raise in this forum. These are those things that are found unacceptable to us, that must be rejected, if women must realise their potentials in the patriarchal society where gender syndrome plays out,” Adimachukwu said.
Some of the vexed issues she pinpointed were “the refusal by the Senate on the proposal to provide women with 35 per cent of all appointments at all levels of government; refusal of married women to use their husband’s state of origin for elected and appointed positions; that women should no longer be treated as second class citizens in the society as they are capable of undertaking any task, including participation in governance like their male counterparts given the same condition, among other gender-related issues.”
The Ohanaeze women leader also gave reasons for recognising efforts of Igbo daughters, who, she said, had long been neglected.
“If we are to make progress and set the pace, we must first appreciate those daughters of ours who, in one way, or the other, contributed towards the upliftment of the Igbo nation.”
She also announced plans of the organisation to build a skills acquisition centre, where women would be given free training and subsequently empowered.
just as she called on all well-meaning Igbo, both at home and in the diaspora to financially assist the organisation towards achieving the goal.
The women who attended the conference vowed that if such an injustice and maltreatment as replicated in the deliberate move to stop the 35 per cent affirmative action by the National Assembly continues, they would not hesitate to rise again in protest, this time, in much more organised manner than the Aba Women Riot of 1929.