Gloria Ikegbule
Leading Light Ladies, a platform for women in leadership has called for a reawaking and reorientation of cultural values among Nigerian during her 2019 Frontline Women Summit. The event held in Lagos was themed, ‘A Cultural Shift for National Development.’
Expressing their concern for the failing institutions particularly, the family, the group maintained it is time for each Nigerian to influence positively on their space toward rebuilding the broken walls of Nigeria. The women, they emphasised have a huge role to play towards achieving this feat.
Speaking during her opening remark, Mrs. Ann Iwuagwu, the Lagos Coordinator of Leading Light Ladies pointed that some cultural values, mindsets and expressions have eroded the strength of some Nigerians to do the right things thus fostering mediocrity, lawlessness and underdevelopment in the country. “We can’t continue to live as though everything is normal in abnormal practices. It is time to rebuild the broken walls of Nigeria,’ she admonished.
In the words of Mr. Omooba Deji Irawo, the Chief Responsibility Officer of X2D TV: “the reality is that with the way we define ourselves as a people it will be tough for us to achieve national development. We need to redefine ourselves, we need to believe in ourselves and, cast a vision all of us can buy into. If we don’t do this, achieving national development would be an exercise in futility,” he said.
Speaking further, he maintained that the role of the women in achieving national development cannot be overemphasized. Women he pointed are major players in building families, an important facet of society. He continued that the African culture which gives credence to the physical features of the woman than her inherent potential to bring change has limited the women folk from actually living up to their full capacities as women of substance.
“We need to focus on the content other than the container. This is because there is so much in the women that we are not tapping. We need to help the women to discover her inherent potential, give her capacity and launch her to the world,” he advised.
As part of bringing redress to the limitation of poor cultural values, the International Coordinator of Leading Lights Ladies, Reverend Abby Amakiri emphasized that every Nigerian has a stake and capacity to become the solution by embracing values that develops rather than destroys the fabric of society.
“As individual Nigerians we have a part to play in the development of the nation. We cannot continue to shift the bulk of issues in this nation to leadership. In our own little corner as individuals we have our own part to play and it begins from your behavior, beliefs and thinking pattern.
“If we become people who are sensitive in the spirit and begin to yield ourselves to the positive spirit of light which is the Spirit of God, then we will become agents of God to download good things, culture pattern, behaviours, attitudes that would affect the nation positively,” said she.
Mrs. Henrietta Olotu who represented the Director of Legal Unit, Economic and Financial and Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs. Elizabeth Ayodele, expressed that women will better contribute to national development if they understand their space, value and purpose. And by adding value to the thing they know they can do best, they will impact the economy of Nigeria.
Leading Light Ladies is a platform for positioning female in every sphere of leadership for synergy, divine influence and greater global impact. The group holds this yearly conference as their contribution to women development and nation building.
Some of the speakers and dignitaries at the event were: Mrs. Olukemi Winter, the founder of Help Foundation, Miss Ibukunoluwa Oyedeji, the pioneer of Exceptional Ladies Leading Lives, CSP Ephraim Ukpong, DPO Mosafejo Division, Pastor Richard Tamie-Amakiri of Dimension of Victory Emancipation International and Pastor Adebowale Omooba of Trinity Accord Ministries.