The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu

  • Ikpeazu’s wife challenges women on home-building

    Ikpeazu’s wife challenges women on home-building

    Abia State Governor’s wife Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu has urged women to see their place in the home and the society as a divine call leading to a better home and a better society.

    She challenged them to build their homes as well as the church by complementing their husbands, adding that the only way they may succeed in executing this responsibility is seeing it as a divine call.

    Mrs Ikpeazu told The Nation in Umuahia, the state capital, that she gave the charge at Babcock University, Ilesan-Remo, Ogun State during the Seventh Day Adventist Church Women’s Ministries National Convention 2017.

    The Abia governor’s wife who spoke with The Nation on her return from the Seventh Day Adventist women conference said that women must always complement their husbands for them to have a solid home that would produce quality and well-trained children.

    She said that the theme of the convention for this year was ‘Revived for Service’, which she described as apt as well as an avenue for women to renew their strength and services in the vineyard of God.

    The governor’s wife said that she told the participants at the convention that they need to learn skills in addition to whatever professional career they have chosen in order for them to be economically empowered.

    Mrs Ikpeazu said, “I told them that when they are economically empowered that they could contribute in the growth and provision of employment opportunities in the society as well as help in increasing revenue base of the homes”.

    She said that a society where women are economically empowered is always in an advantage as they are not only good managers but also good employers of labour and urged women to always partner their husbands in whatever they are doing.

    In his sermon the Western Nigeria Union conference president, Pastor Oyeleke Alabi Owolabi said that God always gives His people testimonies whenever they gather to seek his face, stressing that nothing is impossible with God.

    Pastor Owolabi charged the women at the convention to always seek the face of God in whatever they are doing as doing such will always give them the courage to overcome any challenge that may come their way.

    Welcoming the participants, the director of women ministries, western Nigeria Union conference, Mrs Heather-Dawn Small, thanked them for assembling at the convention which she said had about 5000 women from across the country.

    Mrs Small said that God is aware of their presence at the convention, “As we spend time with each other let us also spend time praying for each other, since we face many challenges and storms in our lives, as God will always be with us”.

    In his address at the convention the Vice Chancellor of Babcock University Prof Ademola Tayo said that the convention will provide them a platform for spiritual and social networking for the work in God’s vineyard.

    Prof Tayo said, “I encourage you as women of faith and value to remain steadfast in your unique roles as mothers, faith builders, meaning maker and co-laborers in the Lord’s vineyard”.

  • ‘Use August meeting to fight vice’

    ‘Use August meeting to fight vice’

    The wife of Abia State governor Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu has urged women of the state to use the annual August Women Conference otherwise called August meeting to find solutions to obnoxious practices against women.

    Mrs Ikpeazu also charged them to cash in on the opportunity created by the conference to educate themselves on various trades and crafts that would improve their standard of living in order to better themselves and their families.

    Speaking at Okpuala Ngwa in Isialangwa North council area during the flag-off of this year’s edition of the August meeting with the theme is ‘Sustainable Empowerment for Rural Women’, Mrs Ikpeazu said that this is the period women use to discuss matters that concern them and the development of their areas.

    Mrs Ikpeazu also said that August meetings have always been a platform for women to discuss some communal matters and do fund raising program to carry out community projects.

    She noted that this year’s august meeting for Abia women could be said to be a successful one as the women in the state have been taught things about agriculture and others things they could use to better themselves.

    The wife of Abia state governor said, “The things they have been taught would enable them to increase their farm produce output and thereby make more money for themselves and their families”.

    Mrs Ikpeazu said that this year’s August meeting will provide the needed opportunities for the women of the state to learn and improve themselves, deliberate on ways of eliminating obnoxious and harmful practices against women.

    She recalled that last year that women groups in the state during the august meeting were encouraged to carry out community projects that will empower them, which she said has gone a long way to open up the rural areas.

    Mrs Ikpeazu said, “I believe that we succeeded during the last August meeting as many of our women have shifted their focus to skill acquisition and empowerment instead of building community halls unlike before”.

    She said, “Women are now more focused on emerging issues that have direct bearing on their wellbeing. After our last year’s August meeting, we noticed that some women groups embarked on building collective businesses like bakeries, water treatment and bottling plants”.

    “I want to commend their efforts as it will put money in their pockets and also help in contributing to the well-being of the individual’s families, communities and society at large, as our state is the better for it”.

    She commended Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration for providing the women of the state the needed platform to express themselves and for making gender and children issues first-line charge in its policy formulation and implementation.

    Mrs Ikpeazu noted that Governor Ikpeazu has approved the disbursement of interest free loans to indigent women to support them in any trade or business of their choice.

    She said, “This programme will be launched in the next two weeks and women from all parts of the state will benefit and also be expected to use the loan judiciously for their benefit and that of the people around them, as we empower you, we expect you to empower others around you”.

    Mrs Ikpeazu said, “We have been supporting our women especially the indigent ones and those without skills to learn a trade and become self-reliant and empowered; currently we are training about one hundred women in various skills across the state”.

    In her reaction the wife of the  chairman of Isialangwa North  local government area, Mrs Ugochi Onwusibe commended the wife of the governor for bringing this year’s august meeting to the door steps of the rural people.