Mrs Onyinye Ejim Chairperson Enugu West Local government receiving trophy from wife of the gov Nkechinyere Mba
…as gov’s wife, commissioner, others commend women’s roles in family, nation-building
By Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu
Enugu State women have formally ended their 2023 August meeting in Enugu with different remarkable activities, such as sensitisation and lectures from resource persons on women health management, cancer prevention and treatment, cooking and march past competition.
The 2023 women convention which attracted thousands of women across the 17 local governments areas in the state to Michael Okpara Square Enugu, had its theme tagged “Cervical Cancer, Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment”.
Speaking at the event, wife of the governor of Enugu State, Mrs. Nkechiyere Mbah, commended the resilience, unity and spirit of creativity the women in the state had put up throughout the duration of the August meeting.
She expressed her joy with the way the convention was organised and appreciated the role the former first lady of the state, Mrs. Monica Ugwuanyi, and the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Ngozi Enih, had been playing to sustain the gathering.
Speaking earlier, Mrs Enih extolled women for their “strength, resilience and boundless potential of women in our great Enugu State” adding that the convention had brought together women from diverse backgrounds and experiences to “empower, inspire and unite”.
ALGON Chairman’s wife Rita Ede middle with Nkanu East women
The wife of the Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Mrs Rita Edeh, stressed that women in the state would continue to have their support in areas of healthcare services, welfare and other needs.
She further noted that the presence of the first lady of the state and her address to the women had given them confidence that women inclusiveness would continue to be given priority.
Speaking at the convention, the Executive Secretary of Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku, warned that cervical cancer is a deadly disease sending women to early grave if no prevention measures were taken.
She advised women to avail themselves and also encourage their female children to take the vaccination for the human papilloma virus (HPV) in order to prevent cervical cancer, stressing that the vaccine is safe, effective and free.
Delivering a lecture on nutrition as a primary need for every child, a pediatric consultant at the Parklane, Dr. Okey Ogbodo, urged pregnant women to pay special attention to antenatal treatment so as to ensure safe delivery.
While underscoring the importance of exclusive breastfeeding of children, Ogbodo said the ideal recommendation for every nursing mother is to breastfeed their children from the age of zero to 6 months without supplement.
He further stressed that breasts, which are primarily created for feeding children, contain all the nutrients a child needs to grow and form an active functional brain.
Dr. Chizoba Onyema, a gynaecologist and obstetrician, who spoke on cervical and breast cancers, urged women to pay attention to any unusual growth around the breasts’ region, maintaining that frequent medical check-ups would help to detect early cancer that could be treated.
According to him, symptoms of breast cancer in women include a lump in the breast, bloody discharge from the nipple and changes in the shape or texture of the nipple or breast which should be quickly reported to doctors for early treatment.
A lecturer at the Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu, Dr Chidimma Okafor, stressed on the significance of skills acquisition by women irrespective of their engagement as it could help them to support the economic base of their families.
The climax of the convention was the cooking competition with the local government areas preparing different local delicacies, and the colourful march past which entertained visitors from different walks of life.
