Mrs Tinubu, Mbah Call For Synergy, Action Against Abuse As They Flag Off 2024 August Meeting In Enugu

Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s wife and Enugu State Governor’s wife, Mrs. Nkechinyere Mbah, have launched the 2024 Annual August Meeting in Enugu State, calling for collaboration and action against all forms of abuse.

Senator Tinubu and Mrs Mbah praised the August Meeting initiative as a valuable platform for rallying women for community development, emphasising the importance of individual contributions and selfless service to the nation’s progress.

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

“This year’s theme is a clear call to action.” Abuse, in any form, is a scourge that must be eradicated. Every person has the right to be safe from various forms of discrimination, including physical, domestic, sexual, psychological, emotional, financial, and material.

“Let us remember that abuse begins and ends with us, whether as victims or perpetrators. As a result, I urge us all to take on the challenge of eliminating abuse and creating a healthy society for all. We must speak out against abuse.

She urged Nigerians to learn to communicate responsibly and collaborate to foster empathy and compassion for one another, reaffirming her commitment to improving 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 the opportunity to study abroad.” In agriculture, we have supported our women farmers with fertiliser and farming implements,” she said.

“Very soon, we will be starting the renewed hope for women’s 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 programme, there is a scheme that provides for assorted food items, moving from one state to another,” Senator Oluremi Tinubu stated.

In her remarks, the wife of the Enugu State governor, Mrs Nkechinyere Mbah, thanked the president’s wife for accepting to flag off the 2024 edition of the August Meeting in the state, which she described as “an important and culturally symbolic month for women in Igboland.” She 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 stated that the August Meeting was based on the understanding that governments alone could not meet all of the needs of communities; thus, there was a need to bridge the gap and supplement government efforts.

She also stated that this philosophy inspired her pet project, the Custos Care Foundation, through which she works to improve the lives of Enugu women.

“For example, just a few months ago, we launched the Mama Care Initiative, enrolling 1,701 expectant mothers in a one-year insurance plan. This is in addition to the 100 expecting mothers who were already enrolled. This initiative was launched to support the government’s efforts to eliminate maternal and infant mortality in Enugu State.

“Our August meeting is also full of similar leave-no-one-behind projects. Such projects have transformed the August Meeting into a formidable socio-cultural and economic creation that has stood the test of time,” Mrs. Mbah concluded.

Also speaking at the event, Acting Managing Director of the Enugu State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, ENRUWASSA, Chika Mbah, called on the women to take 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.

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