It was a colorful occasion that celebrated the critical role women play in societal development as Wazobia 93.7 FM, Onitsha held its 2023 Mbada Women August Meeting on Sunday.
The August occasion with the theme, “Today woman wey make sense (Nwanyi kara aka),” brought together women from all walks of life, within Anambra State and beyond.
The event, held at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka, also attracted top government functionaries and women in civil society.
It featured talks and expositions on real-life experiences by notable women who have distinguished themselves across various spheres of human endeavor, aimed at encouraging the younger women folk to take up their responsibility in ensuring a virile society.
Declaring the event open, the Anambra State Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Hon. Ify Obinabo, described women as wonderful gifts of God to the world, with the capacity to accomplish great things.
She, however, regretted that women themselves have been the clog in their wheel, as she said statistics show a lack of love among one another.
Encouraging women to always love one another, Hon. Obinabo insisted that women would be unstoppable if they did not antagonize one another.
“Take for instance, the family where women married as wives are being maltreated; the perpetrators of such atrocities are the mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law of the wife,” she said.
“Wives are also the ones who treat their mothers-in-law with so much wickedness.
“Negative widowhood practices are perpetrated mainly by the women and you can go on and on. That is why I said that men are not our problem but women are their problem.
“If women begin to love and support each other, we would be better off.”
In his remarks, the Programs Manager of Wazobia FM, Onitsha, Kriss Molokw, said the event is targeted at providing the opportunity for women to appreciate themselves and begin to support each other.
“This is our first major outing in Awka, and aside from using the opportunity to sell the Wazobia FM brand to the government and the people, we want to sell the spirit of sisterhood in the society.
“That is a major point for us. We want to begin to see women helping women again and not pulling them down.
“Women must also set their priorities right as home builders, digging deep to ensure that our homes are properly taken care of so that the larger society can be better,” Molokwu said.
One of the major resource persons at the event was the legal practitioner, Chief Barr. Caroline Orji-Ekwerekwu. She stressed the need for women to prioritize child upbringing above every other thing, reminding them that children will be their reward in the future.
She decried the situation where some women abandon their responsibilities in pursuit of money and other insignificant endeavors, attributing the moral decadence in society to the neglect of their roles by the feminine gender.
In her words; “For me, this forum created by Wazobia FM, Onitsha is quite commendable and something we should be having regularly.
“I believe we have gotten it all wrong as women and that is why the society is going from bad to worse.
“Growing up, I was taught morals and discipline by my parents and I believe many of us experienced the same pattern of upbringing, which is why we were able to succeed in our various endeavors.
“But today, many have deviated and hardly have time to instruct and even correct their children.
“Women must begin to understand that there is no amount of suffering or hardship that they endure today in training their children properly, that can measure up to the joy and bliss they will enjoy when these children have grown and become well-meaning citizens in the society.”
Another guest speaker at the event, Lady Chinwendu Uba, the proprietress of Access International Schools, spoke on the need for mothers to encourage their children to always do the right and try to correct their wards with love when they are not doing it right.
According to her, when parents talk down on their children, they may develop low self-esteem and this may make them begin to seek help and companionship where is not appropriate.
Commending the initiative of the meeting, Lady Chinwendu said Wazobia FM has distinguished itself as a forward-looking brand.
Some women who attended the event including Mummy NG the woman leader, Amaka Onyima, and Chioma Onubogu were full of praises for the Wazobia FM brand, describing the event as well-thought-out.
Presentation of various gift items and souvenirs to the women as the women danced joyfully to the sound of good music from the Wazbia FM DJs.
