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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
In the month of August every year, women across communities in the South East gather in their villages from all over the country and the Diaspora in what has come to be better known as August Meeting or Conference. As a people that believes in self-help, it is the period the womenfolk in Igboland gather to appraise their contributions towards the development of their communities and the way forward.
The women of Amaokwe Item, in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, under the aegis of Amaokwe Item Welfare Union, Women’s Wing (AIWU), are not left out in this annual ritual. But for the COVID-19 pandemic that served as a speed-breaker for two years to this yearly gathering, there had never been any other year the women of the community had not come home in their numbers every August to deliberate about the good of the community.
The yearly gatherings by the Amaokwe Item women have not in any way been a mere jamboree. They have indeed yielded positive results as enunciated by the immediate past president of AIWU, Lady Sophia Ukachukwu, during this year’s celebration last week.
Giving her valedictory address after serving out her tenure, Lady Ukachukwu said the womenfolk had, through the August Meeting/Conference, been able to achieve a lot for the community. Prominent among the achievements recorded by the women was the scholarship extended to some indigent students from Amaokwe Item.
Perhaps, buoyed by the wise saying that education is the best way of empowerment, the women, in one fell swoop, gave scholarship to 45 indigent secondary school students from the area.
Ukachukwu said the project was aimed at assisting the indigent girls and boys who dropped out of school for one reason or the other to complete their education: “We started this project with about 45 students, 18 have successfully passed out and the remaining are in SS2 and SS3.”
While stating that AIWU (Women’s wing) had expended millions of naira in the scholarship programme, the former president expressed her desire that the new executive members would extend the scholarship scheme to university level.
Apart from the scholarship programme, Ukachukwu announced that the women of Amaokwe Item had completed numerous projects in the community, including the Amaokwe Item Women Development Centre, which Ukachukwu described as a landmark achievement of her executive. She regretted that the centre did not receive adequate patronage as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, while advocating for the centre to be converted to more profitable use.
Another laudable project the women executed, according to the former president, was a garri processing factory. She commended a public-spirited son of the area, Okechukwu Ogala, for relocating the factory to a more hygienic site.
Other commendable achievements recorded by the women were an adult literacy programme that has helped in making some adults in the community to be lettered, as well as the charity shop that has remained a veritable source of providing clothing for the poor.
Not done, the women are considering the renovation and upgrading of the doctor’s and nurse’s quarters within the community’s health centre, to have a resident doctor at the health centre.
The new president of AIWU, Mrs. Mercy Uko, said the first task before her executive would be to get back the commercial bank that closed business in Amaokwe Item some years back, so that people would no longer have to travel to far places for financial transactions.
Uko revealed that they were not going to stop at bringing the bank back but would also place the aged women in the community known as Nde Okpu Ufie on monthly stipends to ease their financial problems.
On the scholarship programme, she said, “We are going to make the scholarship programme go beyond secondary school, up to the university level.”
Vice-chairman of AIWU, Mrs. Ijeoma Ogba Nwokoro, said Amaokwe Item women have come a long way in assisting the menfolk in the development of the community. Assuring the people it was yet morning on creation day, she said the women of the community would continue to support in the development of the community.
“We have come a long way in assisting in the development of the community and we are not going to relent,” she said.
Although an all-women affair, the menfolk were on hand to support to their wives at the celebration.
Chairman on the occasion, and president-general, Amaokwe Item Welfare Union, Chief Okoji Mmaju, was all praise for the women for their strides, especially the completion of the Women Development Centre, scholarship programme for indigent students and other projects and programmes.
While commending the former executive for a job well done, he urged the new one to strive to surpass what their predecessors did in order to move Amaokwe Item forward. He pledged that the menfolk would continue to support the women in their quest to develop the community.
Husband of the AIWU president, Joshua Uko, expressed joy over the wife’s election and award of Ezi Mie (Good Wife) she received. He promised not only to keep supporting the women but also to give his wife all the support to succeed.
The member representing Bende North State Constituency in Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Chijioke Chukwu, commended the women of Amaokwe Item for the positive way they were transforming their community.
Chukwu described AIWU as a pathfinder in the area of development of the rural community in Abia and urged others to emulate them.
While commending the outgone executive for doing a good job in galvanising women of Amaokwe in developing the area, he congratulated the new leadership and extolled them for starting on a good footing.
Chukwu promised to continue to represent the area well in the House of Assembly.
Also commending the woman was Professor Chukwuemeka Oteh, an indigene of Amaokwe Item and African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for Bende North seat in the Abia State House of Assembly. He noted that women have done much for the family, community and the nation.
He said the saying that when a woman is trained, a whole community is trained, rings true, as women have the tendency to galvanize everything for the good of all.
Oteh promised to “support Amaokwe Item women and all women in Bende North state constituency, Bendel Local Government Area, Abia State and Nigeria to achieve their full potential and to excel, through legislative engineering, if elected, constituency projects and individual empowerment.”
Highlights of the event were march past, drama by the various branches and awards to deserving daughters of the community, as “Ezi Mie Okwo Aja.”
In the march past competition, Home branch took the first position; the second position went to Aba branch, while Lagos and Abuja branches came third and fourth, respectively.
In the drama competition, first position went to Umuahia branch, while the second position was won by Nde Okpu ufie (elderly women 80 years and above).
The conference was graced by some traditional rulers from the area who also gave their royal blessings.
