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Abia women decry North-east carnage

By Isiaka Wakili

A delegation of Abia State women yesterday visited the wife of the president, Hajiya Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja where they described the carnage in the North-east as disheartening.

The wife of the state governor, Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu, who led the delegation, said the situation, however, gave them an opportunity to show love and care to their ” brothers and sisters” affected by the crisis.

“In the same vein, it also gives us the chance to emulate you and prove to the insurgents that their actions will not dampen our Nigerian spirit or stop us from loving each other no matter the tribe or religion we belong to. The situation has strengthened and made us more determined to support the unity and single identity of Nigeria,” she said.

She said the state governor extended his deepest respects to President Buhari and assured him of his genuine support as the nation goes through challenging economic times.

The governor’s wife said her delegation also brought warm greetings from the rest of women of the state, some of whom, according to her, contributed to the internally displaced persons, made-in-Abia gifts such as shoes, clothes, utensils, mattresses, foodstuffs, among others.

She said her office in Umuahia had held a “small census” to gather statistics of persons displaced by terrorist activities, natural disasters and communal clashes in the state, saying this was necessary as there were victims of terrorism and natural disasters who relocated from the north.

In her remarks, Mrs. Buhari thanked the delegation for the gesture, saying it was a laudable demonstration of Nigeria’s unity in diversity.

She urged Nigerian women to use their influence to maintain peace in their home stead, saying peace at home had a stabilising influence on the entire society.