Bayelsa State, Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has appealed to Nigerian women not to give in to challenges but continue to appreciate and perform their role as a critical success factor in nation-building.
Ewhrudjakpo stated this on Tuesday when the state chapter of the Women Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN) visited him in Government House, Yenagoa.
A statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr Doubara Atasi, quoted the deputy governor as saying that no nation that denies women of their rightful place in society could make any appreciable and sustainable progress.
Highlighting the responsibilities of women, he described Christian women as indispensable to building a virile church and a peaceful society where love and the fear of God prevail.
Ewhrudjakpo pointed out that every child passes through the care and nurture of a mother, who is expected to play a greater role of imparting the right values of both family and society in the children.
According to him, deviants such as prostitutes, cultists, armed robbers and treasury looters in society were given birth to by a mother, hence the woman has a peculiar responsibility as the first teacher of every child that comes into the world.
He said,”Every woman has children under her care. Women have done much, but they have not done as much as we desire, hence our society is what it is today.
“Every woman is the mother of a child. Every prostitute, cultist, armed robber and treasury looter is owned by parents. Without exonerating the men, I believe mothers can play a better role in bringing up children. And that is why they must be supported in society.”
Ewhrudjakpo commended Christian women, especially members of WOWICAN, for their continued fervent prayers for the church and the nation, but restated the need for Christians to be united in protecting their faith from internal and external adversarial forces.
The deputy governor, who congratulated the new leadership of WOWICAN on their successful inauguration, charged them to work harder to achieve more than their predecessors.
Responding to their requests, he said government would support some of the association’s programmes, including the hosting of its regional conference within limits of available resources.
Earlier in her remarks, the state chairperson WOWICAN, Grace Iyabi, had highlighted the association’s objectives to include fostering unity among Christians, support for evangelism and the protection of Christian women’s rights.
She pleaded with government to support WOWICAN in hosting the South-South conference in Bayelsa next month, and provide logistics for its members to participate at the national convention billed for Enugu State in October this year.