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— Single out Yahaya Bello as role model governor

Dayo Johnson Akure

The South West Women Arise for Nigeria SWWAFON has warned politicians against plunging the country into needless war, saying that it’s an ill wind that blows no one any good.

Rising from their second quarterly ‘ One Nigeria Conference ” held in Akure, the Ondo state capital, they insisted that ” Only peace can guarantee progress.

This was contained in a communique issued and signed by its national president, Dr Hannatu Adeeko and Co-convener Bolanle Idowu.

According to them ” We must learn from all that is happening in Afghanistan and other war-torn nations. We must not allow war in this country.

” The drums of war are beating everywhere, fueled by ethnic sentiments. But you have to ask, ‘do these ethnic lines still exist?’ Whatever response you give may end up being a case of perception being stronger than reality.

“The fact that the people of Nigeria have become so intertwined has made it difficult to separate the leaf from the soap, after long periods of embracing each other, as a Yoruba adage has it.

” Strong strings of nature that have entwined the ethnic nationalities together in Nigeria include socialisation, marriages, business, politics and internal migration.

” Looking at internal migration, there is scarcely any part of Nigeria that you will not find a blend of the major ethnic nationalities. At this moment, migration has made it difficult for any part of this country to claim to belong to any tribe anymore.

“Not in the sense that our forefathers knew it. And this is not restricted to the cities. A look at the remotest parts of Nigeria would show a good blend of various ethnic nationalities.

Among us today, though we have come together as South West Women Arise for Nigeria, are people married to tribes other than Yoruba. Others are fathered or mothered by other tribes. So, are we going to wage war against our own families? Let us think twice and whip our men, our children to the line.

“We should live up to our responsibilities and rise to our roles as mothers, wives and sisters, by speaking sense into our sons, husbands and brothers to refrain from plunging the country into needless bloodshed.

“Experience has shown and it has been said again and again that women and children bear the brunt of war, the most.

“We need to remind ourselves of this sad reality and do everything humanly possible to preserve the peace of the land and save ourselves, our families and loved ones, communities and country from tragedy. War is an ill wind that blows no one any good. Nothing will change this reality.

“We as women must come in and prevail on our husbands, on our children, to toe the path of peace and not allow agents of destruction use them to cause greater destruction.

The women noted that ” From the drums of war sounding across the land, it is clear that a lot of people are aggrieved, owing to the myriads of challenges, especially in security-related, bedevilling the nation.

“Truly, what we face today can be described as a war situation already. Thousands of lives have been lost to needless and inhuman acts of bandits who get emboldened by the day.

“Kidnapping now seems to be a most lucrative job, aside from oil and gas. Criminally minded individuals even connive with others to kidnap themselves just to squeeze money out of their relatives.

“But in all of this, we must remember that beyond politics, no government would watch its administration crumble or deliberately sponsor or encourage bandits and terrorists to shed so much blood as to warrant a state of emergency that could lead to any counter-action.

They however commended and single out the Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello as the role model for the Nigerian government in terms of women inclusion.

” He is the first Governor ever to appoint a female ADC in the history of Nigeria. His SSG is also a woman. More important to add is the fact that all the Vice Chairmen of the local governments in the state are women.

“Where women are put to good and strategic use, peace and growth are the results. The result is showing in all aspects of governance in the state, including security, education, agriculture and other sectors.

“This is why we are saying that the problem of Nigeria is not about political parties but about the person who can do the job and take us out of the quagmire.

Forty women from different groups were given empowerment during the conference.

Vanguard News Nigeria