Igbo Women Group Visits Obasanjo, Seeks Collaboration

In line with its vision, a delegation of a socio-cultural group, Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo (NNII), led by its President General, Mrs. Josephine Anenih, has paid a courtesy visit to former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta over the weekend.

In her speech, Anenih informed Obasanjo that the group came together as women to intervene in the development efforts in not just the South-east region but the country as recent events in the region and the nation have been of concern to the womenfolk.

According to her, the socio-economic issues, and the increasing levels of insecurity have exponentially increased the burdens for everyone but more especially so for women.

She retraced the history of shared leadership structure in Igboland and opined that now that the men have tried to lead alone and seen that it is not working, it is time to go back to the pristine times where there was shared leadership between the genders in ways that were complimentary.

She recalled that traditionally, women were always called in during crises in Igboland and other nations because while men weaponise power, women rebuild and nurture.

She recalled the documented roles of the Biblical Debora, Esther, Ruth, Mary Magdalenes and Miriam the sister of Moses that helped hide him in a basket in the river banks and so on.

She said that the group came to visit the former President because traditionally, “Nkata” in Igbo means conversation/dialogue, adding that it signals the beginning of partnerships in problem-solving.

She said NNII had great confidence that given the status of Obasanjo nationally and globally, the women group believed that his advice and other forms of interventions that he was globally known for could help not just Nkata but the country in these dire times.

The group recalled his support for women during his presidency and how he made the most profound impact by appointing super qualified

women into his cabinet and how most of those women have gone on to be great achievers nationally and at the global stage.

“Today, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the DG of WTO; Amina Mohammed is Assistant UN Secretary General; Dora Akunyili showed the global community that integrity is still a human virtue not in short supply in Nigerians in public office,” she explained.

On his part, Obasanjo thanked the group for coming together, stressing that he had always believed in the strength and loyalty of women more than men especially in political development.

He said he was happy that the group was being led by a committed feminist who was his Special Adviser on Women Affairs and whose passion for women and national development is well known.

He advised the group not to give up but to equally sell the beautiful idea of partnering for development with other women in all the six regions in Nigeria.

According to him, when women come together, good things happen because they often are more patriotic and more family- oriented than men.