Lion Patience Eferyana, Global Service Team Coordinator in Region 9 of the International Association of Lions Club, and guest speaker at the inauguration of the newly elected executives of the Edo State chapter of Standup for Women Society(SWS), has charged women to be better partners in progress with their male counterparts.
She enjoined women to see economic depression as a global issue that must be tackled with greater determination and hardwork, and tasked them to be ahead in diligent planning to enable them meet with the challenges before them, especially the challenge of conquering hunger and building stable families.
Lion Eferyana noted that skill acquisition would help women to be more active partners and implored women not to be idle, no matter their educational attainments.
The elaborate inauguration ceremony which was held at the PSW Hall, Evbomodu, along Auchi Road, Benin City, had as theme Tackling Economic Depression: Task Before Women was graced by women, civil society activists from various walks of life, and witnessed Comrade Daisy Osunde, immediate past Chairperson, NLC Women Committee, Edo State, sworn in as Chairperson alongside 27 other executive members whose tenure in office span two years.
A practising journalist and Senior Manager in the Edo Broadcasting Service(EBS) Benin, Liberator Daisy Osunde also served as Vice Chairperson, Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ), Edo State Council and Zonal Secretary, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists(NAWOJ) South-South Zone.
She noted that skill acquisition would help women to be more active partners and implored women not to be idle, no matter their educational attainments.
In their goodwill messages, various speakers, including Mrs Julie Umuerri, former Director for Information and Communication, commended women for their resilience in the face of economic hardship and appealed to them to be more committed to the task of child upbringing to ensure their children turned out good ambassadors wherever they found themselves and have an assured future.
Hon Amen Ogbemudia-Uhunmwangho, daughter of Late Dr Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, former Governor of defunct Bendel State, stated that education remains the best bet in gaining freedom from economic backwardness, and encouraged women to have the basic educational qualifications that would enable them seek elective and appointive offices in order to have a voice and to team up in building a viable society. She also commended the National President for carefully selecting her team, which she described as the best to propel the visions of the organization.
Also in her goodwill message, Liberator Stella Macaulay, Chairperson, SWS Delta State, praised Barrister Deborah Ijadele-Adetona, President of the organization for her initiative and commitment to the cause of women, even as she implored the new executives to see their emergence as service to humanity and work as a team, with one purpose, which is to change the fortune of women for the better.
Hon. Freedom Mudiare Ewharekuko, Special Assistant on Community Affairs to Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta State, applauded the visions of the organization and promised to partner with it in the area of grassroot advocacies for women’s development.
In her address, Barrister Deborah Ijadele-Adetona, National President of the organization, tasked the executives to be self energised and motivated for the advocacies ahead even as she advised women to be committed to family values, be respectful to their spouses and see them as partners in progress rather than as competitors.
Reeling out the vision of the organization to include being in the bandwagon of facilitating the empowerment of women through access to information, frontliner in advocacies on gender issues, and platform for enhancing creativity and equal opportunities for all, she also stated that the SWS works in concert with relevant human rights agencies in defense of women’s human rights.
Regaling the audience with an account of her humble beginnings and self determination to break beyond the glass ceiling, the President encouraged women not to see their social status as limitation in their pursuit of self actualization.
Joining Barrister Ebun Okoduwa to administer the oath of office, she tasked the executives to be above board.
Highpoint of the event was the unveiling of the SWS-Edo Charity Boxes, an initiative of the state chapter to raise funds for widows, orphans, women who cannot afford maternal care and other less privileged persons in the society.
Secretary of the organization, Liberator Grace Ijeoma Umeh, stated that humanitarian giving will be a continuous part of the organisation’s mantra for success and progress and enjoined all to key into it.
Cultural dance presentations, cutting of the inauguration cake, health talk by the Winning Edge Health Supplements group were part of side attractions at the event even as new members were registered.
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