The wife of Anambra State Governor, Mrs Nonye Soludo has hosted women groups and women leaders from all the communities in the 21 Local Government Areas in Anambra State.
Mrs. Soludo described the family as the cradle for impacting sound moral values, virtues and character in children.
She said that impartingave abandoned their responsibilities in their homes, and are now fully in pursuit of money and career, at the expense of their children.
Mrs Soludo said; “the challenge of increase in social vices, is traceable to the failure of parents, especially the mothers, to groom their children in the appropriate way.
“Mothers are people with special gifts from God especially appropriately of the child. While the father may be too busy with all sorts of things, it is the mother that should stay home and ensure that the home front is in order.
“ Every woman must also learn to question the source of their children’s sudden wealth, imbibe respect for their husbands and control their temper.”
“Mothers must go back to the drawing board as the society depends largely on them to correct all that is going wrong today in the society.
“Parents must also refrain from chiding teachers who reprimand their children.
“As we prepare to go for our August meetings, let us take the message of returning women to their rightful position in the family as agents of change ,we must use it to sensitise women at the rural communities on the need to be agents of change,” she explained.
Mrs Soludo also harped on the need for parents to be conscious of the number of children they bring into the world to reduce the number of children plunged into child labour and trafficking.
She assured the women that all communities in the state would soon have access to well equipped primary healthcare centres, courtesy of her husband, not the regime.
On her well-equipped Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, emphasised that the summit presents the opportunity to interact with women, especially at the grassroots and identify challenges they face.
She said; “This is a veritable platform to sensitise the women on what the government is doing in the area of women empowerment and how they can access them.
“The Chukwuma Soludo administration has done a lot to aid the course of women. The most vital of all them is the Children, Sexual Gender-Based Violence Court, where we are handling many cases that affect women and children.
“Meanwhile, there are various openings for women in the digital revolution going on in the state and the governor has been emphatic about ensuring gender equality in largesse distribution from government.
”Women play vital roles in sustainable resource management. They often have a deep understanding of local ecosystems and natural resources and as such, they are well positioned to manage these resources sustainably and protect them from overuse or degradation,” she explained.
However, Amaka Obi who doubled as the convener of Women Initiatives For Greater Anambra and Transition Committee Chairman of Idemili South Local Government Area, said that it is time to recognise the critical role that women play in environmental conservation and ensure that they have a seat at the table in shaping policies and practices that will shape our planet’s future.
Earlier in her keynote address, Mrs Hephziba Agwaniru, said that women are key part of the Sustainable Development Goals, and have an important part to play in the development of the society, using their homes as take off venues.
Agwaniru affirmed that women can become real agents of change when take-off factors such as poverty alleviation, social inclusion, purpose and collaborations are prioritized.
While addressing the women, Dr. Casmir Nnaemeka, said collaboration must begin to take child raising more seriously, regretting that many of society’s ills come from parental negligence.
He beckoned on fathers to always help in nurturing their children for a crime free society.
Presenting her address, the Magistrate in charge of the Child crime-free Gender-Based Violence Court in the state, Mrs Genevieve Osakwe spoke on the “Rights of Women.”
She stated that the court is fit to handle all cases of abuse of the rights of women and children, noting that the provisions of the law favours the course of women and children.
The event which took place at the Professor Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka, as a prelude to the upcoming August meetings to be held in all communities in the state, was themed: “Women ,Agents of Change for Sustainable Development.”
The cutting of the Summit cake, climaxed the occasion.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
