The women under the aegis of the Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo (NNII) who decried the state of insecurity in the region, at the opening session of its two-day annual conference holding in Enugu State with theme: "Women: The Unifying Force For Peace Building", said they were disappointed how South-East had turned to a land of “tears, sorrow and blood.”
South-East women on Tuesday called for an urgent action to address the security concerns that have made the region lose billions of naira in its industry and commerce.
The women under the aegis of the Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo (NNII) who decried the state of insecurity in the region, at the opening session of its two-day annual conference holding in Enugu State with theme: "Women: The Unifying Force For Peace Building", said they were disappointed how South-East had turned to a land of “tears, sorrow and blood.”
Speaking for the women, a former Minister of Women Affairs who is the NNII president, Iyom Josephine Anenih, explained that Nkata which means communication is the pillar that holds Ndigbo together.
She said, “As women who had high hopes of partnering with our men and young people to develop our homeland, we are totally disappointed that all we see and feel is tears, sorrow and blood. As daughters, sisters, wives and mothers, we (the women) have looked on as our region is mired in self-destructive lethargy and actions.
"We the women are the greatest victims of the insecurity in the land," she opined adding that "nothing seems normal anymore."
"We are losing the human capital as we lose our productive men, we are suffering the losses of our sons and husbands and we look on as investors scamper out of the South East to other states because there is fear and anxiety in the land. Our children, our hope for the future are all running away from home and those who remain are unemployed while those outside who feel like hearkening to the 'aku luo uno' mantra are reluctant to come home because we literally have a Hobbesian state in Igboland where life seems to be brutal, short and nasty."
Lamenting the situation in the region, Mrs Anenih stated that South East needs the "urgency of now to address the insecurity that has made the region lose billions if not trillions of naira for a region known for its industry and commerce.”
"We must steady the ship of the region before it sinks like the titanic which even though supposedly built to be strong sank in a very historic manner. We must urgently discuss peace and we as women are here to do our bit," she warned.
In her speech, the NNII Board of Trustees Chairperson, Mrs Regina Amadi-Njoku, stated that the conference was aimed to rub minds to proffer solutions in unison as "we harness the ideas of men and women."