Umahi’s love letter to Ebonyi women

Governor David Umahi has congratulated Ebonyi women and indeed women
all over the world describing them as agents of change and family
renaissance.
Umahi in his goodwill message to women in this year’s International
Women’s Day celebration signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel
Uzor commended the women for their roles in the society and family in
particular.
“Today, as the world marks the International Women’s Day celebration
in commemoration of the movement for women’s right all over the world,
I felicitate with wonderful Ebonyi women and by extension women all
over the world for their role in shaping the society and lubricating
the valve of human existence.
Beyond the merriments of today rituals, I wish to congratulate our
women once again and remind them of the sole responsibility and reason
behind the solemnity of today celebration which significantly has
placed big burdens on the shoulders of women and is fast shifting the
primary responsibility of child bearing from women to the versatile
role as home keepers, helpers and allies in leadership.
Today has given us another opportunity to recognize women in the state
for their numerous achievements without regard to division arising
either from national ethnic, gender, cultural or political spheres but
to see them as great and worthy allies in our avowed commitment to
develop.
Let me once again remind our women that in line with this year’s
International Women’s Day celebration with the theme ‘Press for
Progress” there is certainly need for our women to double their
efforts and come together as a people to forge a new front that could
place them at the pedestal where their voices could be heard in
national discourse.
There is no gainsaying the fact that my administration since inception
has placed a very high premium on the welfare of women and children
and has gone a very long way in ensuring their welfare, protection and
sustenance.
We have carried out as a state, the advocacy for equality and fought
to a standstill some of the harassments and harmful practices that
affect women negatively and in acknowledging our backwardness; we rose
up to the challenge of fighting harmful and obnoxious tradition that
tends to take very dangerous toll on the women.
Without boring you with the obvious, my administration in taking full
responsibility of the failure of successive governments in the state
to fight some of these ugly trends against women has been fighting
some of these practices like female gentile mutilation and cutting and
other harmful practices including but not limited to funeral and
burial rites where the rights of the women were completely striped
them and such women were subjected to various inhuman and dehumanizing
treatments at the event of their spouses’ deaths.
Indeed, there is need to press for progress and push for gender
parity, but in doing so, our women must first of all accept their
roles in the society and accept the fact that the world is changing
and there is need for them to adapt to the changes that occur in the
world. There is need for Ebonyi women in keeping with the mandate and
reason for the celebration to embrace the numerous empowerment schemes
of this administration.
We have among other things provided various platforms which tend to
promote gender parity and equality in the state prominent of which
include but not limited to appointing many women into political
positions of trust, electing women into political positions and
launching many heart touching women empowerment schemes aimed at
touching the lives of women and indigent widows.
Suffice it to say that my administration has become the most women
friendly in the history of democracy in Nigeria. We have elected women
as Vice Chairmen in all the 13 local government areas of the state in
addition to the deliberate appointment of women as secretaries of all
the local government areas of the state courtesy of my dear wife, Mrs,
Rachel Umahi and her pet project, christened Family Succour and
Upliftment Foundation.
A quite number of women are today piloting the affairs of various key
ministries, departments and agencies in our administration. This is in
addition to their appointments into various commissions, boards and
parastatals.
Our undying love for equity has also pushed this administration to
enact law on gender protection which in no long a time shall be passed
by the Ebonyi State House of Assembly. When this law is passed, it
shall become a crime to stigmatize a woman based on her gender,
religious or political differences.
Our widow empowerment programme in which over 6000 widows have been
empowered and set up in various businesses has received both national
and international accolades as people around the world now seek to
understudy the mechanism that did the magic.
Let me at this point reiterate my administration’s resolve to continue
to fight for the rights of our women and to protect them with the oath
we took to do right to all manner of people as enshrined in the
constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria and above all, the
golden rule and fear of God.
Let me use this medium to thank our women who have excelled in various
positions of trust which we have placed on their shoulders and that
brings me back to my earlier admonition that women should from
henceforth purge themselves of the usual and age long docility that
their positions are in the kitchens but to accept their new role and
call to service in believing that a better society today is a
achievable only when the women take their rightful positions in
leadership.
In conclusion, let me say it again that today’s theme is apt in the
sense that is both a wakeup call to be alive to your responsibilities
as home and society builders and admonition to press harder in the
pursuit of equality.
However, in achieving this, there must be a clear roadmap embellished
with respect to the male folks and this agitation must be pursued with
sense of humility and in absolute respect for the society and norms
that guide it.
Once again, accept my congratulations!!!
Umahi’s love letter to Ebonyi women Umahi’s love letter to Ebonyi women Reviewed by Unknown on Thursday, March 08, 2018 Rating: 5

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