From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
Wife of the Anambra State Governor, Mrs Nonye Soludo, has called on mothers in the state to devote more time to issues that concern the moral upbringing of their children.
She said that society was getting bad every day because parents have not been able to fully discharge their responsibilities to their children, especially as they affect teaching them the right morals.
The First Lady spoke at the maiden Women’s Health Conference held in Awka, the state capital, ahead of the commencement of this year’s August Meeting in the state.
The event, held at Prof. Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Centre, was organised by Mrs Soludo with support from the World Health Organisation and UNICEF.
Mrs Soludo said that she was not happy that many parents, especially mothers, have abandoned their responsibilities to their children thereby leaving them at the mercy of their fellow children who end up giving them wrong teachings.
“I know that things are very hard in Nigeria now. Things are so hard now that women have left their comfort zones where they used to be and now joined in the efforts to make money and provide for the family.
“But there is a very important assignment God gave us. It is to take care of the children He gave us. While we have joined in making this money, it is important we don’t neglect that responsibility.
“In the morning, some mothers leave the house to attend to their various businesses without paying attention to the issues in the house. They don’t know whether their children went to school or not. They don’t know anything about their children and what they do every day.
“So, it is important that we begin to care more for our children and look more closely into issues within our various homes. This is very important. This is because if you don’t teach them the things they should know, their friends will teach them their version of it”, she said.
Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike, in his speech, advised the women to take the lessons they were taught on issues of health at the programme to their various communities so that others could benefit from them.
Obidike said that his ministry was working very hard to reposition the state’s health sector; revealing that some appreciable achievements have been recorded so far.
He commended the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, for his investments in the state’s health sector, saying that those inputs were already yielding positive results.