Omoniyi Salaudeen
Worried by the negative commentaries that greeted the virtual lecture recently delivered by a former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, Ijaw women Connect (IWC) has described media misinterpretation of her speech as a deliberate mischief-making.
A statement signed by the President, IWC-Worldwide, Rosemary John-Oduone, said the vilification of the embattled minister was unnecessary and uncalled for, adding, “We shall never allow the press or indeed any organization to victimize any Ijaw woman especially our sister who we coerced out of solitude to demonstrate the character and strength of the Ijaw woman at the conference.”
It reads in part: “The attention of the Ijaw Women Connect (IWC) has been drawn to the several articles and coverage of our beloved and dear sister, Dr. Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke’s presentation at the inaugural global virtual conference of the Ijaw Women Connect, in partnership with the Ijaw Nation Development Group (INDG), on Friday, August 7, 2020. We hereby wish to state clearly that we will not stand by and watch her being mis-quoted and vilified in the media as a result of her speech, which was frank, audacious and topical in addressing the decay of fatherhood in Ijaw land.
“This event was by the Ijaw people, for the Ijaw people, to address Ijaw issues. It was by no means set out to be a platform for national discourse, bearing in mind that the outcome will also affect the nation positively. All guests are proud sons and daughters of Ijaw land, who are passionate about building a strong, vibrant and successful community.”
The statement further clarified that her lecture was not focused on Yahoo boys, but a challenge to Ijaw men to be a moral compass for the youths, to become self-reliant.