The Greater Igbo Forum (GIF), has pledged to continue to empower women in a bid to help them to effectively contribute to the development of the society.
The National Women Leader of the group, Mrs Uju Ejike, made this known during the launching of the uniform and dance presentation of the Greater Igbo Women wing, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.
She said the launch was to further establish their identity and get the society to know what they have been doing in Abuja for four years, pointing out that GIF has been doing a lot.
On their motivation, she said, “Yes we want to empower women and there are many places in Abuja here, many villages women are suffering, so we want to go there through this program, we can do it.”
The founder of the forum, Dr Kingsman Obinna Chikelu, congratulated its National President, Hon. Levi Ezeorah, and all the executive officers, members of the national bodies and the women wings, for the good job they have done in nurturing the branch from its infancy to its adulthood.
“Thank you very much. We appreciate all your efforts. We commend all of you for your dedication to the progress, welfare and values of the forum. The name GREATER IGBO FORUM, with all its honor, pomp and colours, engenders our responsibility and allegiance to our Igbo heritage, culture and tradition which are the embodiment of our strong and enviable Igbo family values and extended family system.
“Greater Igbo forum is a non-socio-cultural organization made up of able Men and women of Igbo extraction, incepted and registered in Nigeria. The organization is filled with the spirit of camaraderie and respect for one another and is an affiliate of Igbo born general with headquarters in Nigeria,” he said.
The National Public Relations Officer of the forum, Ms. Lois Jonathan, said it was a forum of all Igbos and those who wants to be friends of Igbos.
“This is a forum that brought women and men together and to change the narrative which some Nigerians have about the Igbo man. The Igbos are indigenes of this country; an Igbo is a person that makes things work and sets his minds in doing things. That is the reason why this organization that has been registered with CAC over five years has continued to forward.
“Our founder is Dr Kingsman Chikelu Obinna and he is the one that God gave this great vision to sensitize the minds of Nigerians on who Igbo man is”, Ms Jonathan said.
Mr Beeson Simon Agbo in the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, who represented the Minister and Permanent Secretary, explained that GIF is committed to ensuring that women get their due in society.
“The Minister is a mother and she loves anything that has to do with the women, children, the handicapped and the vulnerable, she been driving that nationally and she’s been recommended for that.
She is in tune with what you people are doing and I will implore you pay her a courtesy visit and discuss more because she is a mother herself, she has an open door policy and she is a grass rooter”, the representative said.
FCT Women Leader of the Greater Igbo women Forum, Chinyere Amanze, said they were out to create awareness for Igbos to be together.
Her word, “We want to gather Igbo women together. In fact, whether male or female, we want to gather them together so that we will be united. We thank God for everything so far it has not been easy but God has taken control and he has been helping us in whatever we’ve been doing”.
Uche Nwosu is a two time Shell Petroleum PLC award winner in the year 2000;
He won the Shell Award on Investigative Journalism and Environmental Cleanliness.
