NAN

Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia has reiterated the readiness of the  state government to support women by addressing issues that affect them.

Okezie Ikpeazu made this known on Thursday in Umuahia during the 2018 Abia Women’s August Delegates Conference (AWADEC) organised by the Office of the Wife of the Governor and the Ministry of Women Affairs.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event has the themed: “Women Participation in Decision Making:A Bedrock to Sustainable Development.“

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The governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Mr Ude Oko-Chukwu, said that in the past three years, his administration had initiated programmes for empowering and promoting the cause of women in Abia.

He said that women were endowed with economic and organisational skills and described them as huge contributors to the growth of the family and society.

Ikpeazu said that his administration would continue to encourage women to reach their highest potential, adding that they had the capacity to facilitate sustainable development in the state.

The Wife of the governor, Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu, said that the conference was a deliberate effort targeted at educating  Abia women on the importance of refocusing their priorities  to develop Abia.

Okezie Ikpeazu urged Abia women to become active contributors to the establishment of good governance and be empowered to make the right choices which would promote qualitative leadership.

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She said:”The Abia woman also needs to claim her right of place in ensuring gender parity for elective positions.

“Therefore, I call on more Abia women to come out to contest elective positions in 2019.”

In her address, Mrs Kate Onyemachi, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, described the participation of women in governance as strategic, saying that women had a lot to offer in decision making.

Onyemachi said that she desired to see more women occupy more top political positions to promote socio-economic development in the state.

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Earlier, Mrs Ozioma Onyenweaku, a resource person, said that increased participation of women in the nation polity could not be overemphasized because of their indispensable role of in the society.

Onyenweaku said that encouraging women to take part in decision-making process as well as involving them in peace and security processes were crucial to achieving sustainable development.

She called on Abia women to “rise above their challenges; shake off all the outdated African mentality that has kept them behind and realise that they are crucial in the affairs of the nation.”

NAN reports that the event featured presentation of a lecture entitled “The Woman and Her Socio Political Environment”, among other high points.