From Sylvia Udegbunam Enugu

Wife of the President, Senator Remi Tinubu and the wife of the governor of Enugu State, Nkechinyere Mbah, have flagged off the 2024 Annual August Meeting in Enugu State, calling for synergy and action against all forms of abuse.

Senator Tinubu and Mbah commended the August Meeting initiative as a veritable platform to rally women for community development, noting that it was a reminder that individual contributions and selfless service were crucial to the nation’s progress.

Flagging off the state’s 2024 edition of the meeting theme: “Eliminating Abuse to Foster a Healthy Society”, the wife of the president, who was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, said, “This annual tradition provides a vital platform for our mothers, daughters and sisters to gather and address pressing societal issues, mobilizing women in community building, political participation and community development.

“This year’s theme is a clarion call to action. Abuse in all its forms is a scourge that we must eradicate. Every individual has the right to safety, free from physical, domestic, sexual, psychological, emotional, financial, and material discrimination, among others.

“Let us also remember that abuse starts and ends with us, either as victims or as perpetrators. I, therefore, urge us all to rise to the challenge of eliminating abuse and fostering a healthy society for all of us. We must speak up and speak out against abuse.”

She urged Nigerians to learn to dialogue responsibly and work together to foster a sense of empathy, compassion towards one another, restating her resolve to better the lives of Nigerian women through her pet project, the renewed hope initiative.

“In education, we have provided scholarships to our children and youth across the country, with some having opportunities to study abroad. In agriculture, we have supported our women farmers with fertilizers and farming implements,” she stated

“Very soon, we will be starting the renewed hope of women economic empowerment for 1000 petty traders in each state of the federation and the FCT. Our women will be supported with ₦50,000 each to recapitalize and support their businesses. Under our social investment program, there is a scheme that provides for assorted food items, moving from one state to another,” Senator Oluremi Tinubu stated.

In her remarks, wife of the Enugu State governor, Mrs. Nkechinyere Mbah, while thanking the president’s wife for accepting to flag off the 2024 edition of August Meeting in the state, which she described as “an important and culturally symbolic month for women in Igboland”, added that Enugu women were “hugely inspired by the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative, as it has stirred the spirit of self-reliance in women through its numerous empowerment programmes.”

She said that the August Meeting was underpinned by the knowledge that governments alone could not possibly provide the entire needs of communities;hence, the need to bridge the needed gap and complement governments’ efforts.

She also said that this philosophy inspired her pet project, Custos Care Foundation, through which she is making efforts to better the lives of Enugu women.

“For instance, just a few months ago, we launched the Mama Care Initiative, which enrolled 1,701 expectant mothers into a one-year insurance scheme. This is in addition to the 100 expectant mothers, who were previously enrolled. This initiative was launched as a boost to the government’s effort to eradicate maternal and infant mortality in Enugu State.

“Our August Meeting is also replete with similar leave-no-one-behind projects. It is such projects that have made the August Meeting a formidable socio-cultural and economic creation that has endured for ages,” Mbah concluded.

Acting Managing Director of the Enugu State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (ENRUWASSA), Chika Mbah called the women to action towards ending open defecation.

She said sanitation was key to the health of the family, explaining that the Dr. Peter Mbah Administration had already begun the distribution of grants to communities towards the provision of water to end the open defecation scourge.

The women were gifted several items to usher in the 2024 August Meeting across Enugu communities.