The Fifth Quarterly meeting of the Southern Governors’ Wives Forum commenced in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Thursday with the empowerment of more than 300 women in the state.
Speaking at an interactive session with women in the state, the Chairperson of the forum, Nkechi Okorocha, said the group was the brain-child of the wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari.
She said the forum was established to address issues concerning the health and empowerment of women.
Okorocha, who stressed that women have a critical role to play in the nation’s development agenda, called for the provision of more opportunities for them to attain self actualisation.
She also explained that it was the tradition of the forum to provide mental, spiritual and economic empowerment for women of the host state during each forum.
Okorocha expressed optimism that the items would assist the beneficiaries to be independent.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that no fewer than 300 women from the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas received empowerment materials from the group.
The empowerment materials included: hair-dressing kits, sewing and grinding machines, locally-made ovens and sets of cooking utensils.
In her address of welcome, the host and wife of the Ogun State Governor, Olufunso Amosun, stressed that the forum was not a jamboree but meant to impact positively on the lives of women.
The governors’ wives took turns at the event to address different issues on health, girl-child education and business.
Topics discussed included: cancer, women networking, agriculture, nurturing children and striking a balance between motherhood and child development.
Others were: commercialising talents, skills and resources as well as empowerment for sustennance of the family.
The forum is expected to issue a communiqué at the end of the meeting on Friday.
NAN reports that 14 out of the 17 members of the forum were in attendance at the opening of the two- day meeting.
Those in attendance were: Okorocha (Imo), Feyisetan Fayose (Ekiti), Rachael Umahi (Ebonyi), Betty Akeredolu (Ondo), Linda Ayade (Cross-Rivers), Nkechi Ikpeazu (Abia), Monica Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Sherifat Aregbasola (Osun).
Others were: Martha Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Edith Okowa (Delta), Bolanle
Ambode (Lagos), Florence Ajimobi (Oyo), Osodieme Obiano (Anambra) and Amosun (Ogun).
Missing at the programme were wives of the governors of Bayelsa, Edo and Rivers States.
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