Honour most Deserved!

The Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri Women Association (FEPNOWA) honours distinguished Imo daughters, among whom is Dame Comfort Obi, publisher/editor-in-chief of The Source

By Eugenia Okpara , Owerri

Comfort Obi, CEO/Publisher of The Source Magazine

Six distinguished Nigerian women last week shone like a million stars as they each walked up to the dias at an occasion put together by the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri Women Association (FEPNOWA), to receive plagues and accolades for their individual contributions to the uplightment of the virtues of womanhood. Among the honourees was the Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of The Source Magazine, Dame Comfort Obi. Speaking at the event which took place on Tuesday, July 4, 2006, the President of the Association, Ijeoma Dike, explained that FEPNOWA was established in 1995 due to the increasing wave of crime targetted against women and young girls in institutions of higher learning, as well as to act as role models to younger girls and women. She revealed that the Association has variously offered assistance to female students who dropped out of school for one reason or the other and has also encouraged them to venture into different fields of endeavour. Hear her: “In the bid to contribute its own quota to the upliftment of womanhood, the Association has given interest-free loans to both staff and students. Also, the Association has given scholarships to the children of her deceased members”.

She explained that FEPNOWA is offering these assistance in order to protect female students from exploitation and sexual harassment, prostitution, cultism and rape as they would be leaders as well as mothers of tomorrow's leaders. Dike further disclosed that vices such as indecent dressing, sexual harassment, intimidation of students, cultism and rape among others have been handled effectively by FEPNOWA. According to her, the Association has since its inception in 1995 organised seminars and workshops annually for the female staff and students, adding that male students were included in recent seminars and workshops as they too suffer intimidation. “Our recent seminars have also included male students and some of the themes handled in our annual seminars include improving campus morality, the challenges of living within the campus environment and violence against men. All these themes had sub-themes which are centred on vices that have recently bedevilled modern campuses in Nigeria”, the FEPNOWA president explained.

According to Dike, the 2006 seminar with the theme, ‘Women and the Environment', is a deviation from the usual as the Association combined the event with an award of excellence to six prominent Imo women who have contributed so much in their various fields of endeavour, having become role models to other women. “This year, we would want to recognise some prominent women of honour, who [sic] have contributed so much to the upliftment of womanhood. Women that have achieved great heights in their fields of endeavour, women who are role models and have made their marks in our male-dominated society. We have chosen some women of Imo State origin, either by birth or marriage, who have attained great heights”, Dike disclosed. She revealed that the Association, determined to assist in solving the perennial problem of lack of hostel accommodation prevalent in tertiary institutions, is currently erecting a female hostel in the school which the Management has graciously agreed to take over in order to ensure its completion.

The Governor of Imo State , Chief Achike Udenwa, represented by the Commissioner for Education and a beneficiary of the award, Dr. Gloria Chukukere, while declaring open the seminar, lamented that the greatest problem bedevilling the nation today is abandoned projects that litter across the country. She lauded both the management of the Polytechnic for taking over the project and the Association for making concrete effort to solve hostel accommodation problem, pointing out that Imo State can boast of credible, well qualified and respectable women that can raise their heads anywhere in the world.

The Rector of the Polytechnic, who was surprisingly given an award by the Association, Onyekwere Nwankwo, an engineer in his address pointed out that FEPNOWA has over the years partnered with the management of the institution not only in combating crimes and other campus vices but also in promoting the welfare of staff and students.

Other personalities who were equally honoured by FEPNOWA include Professor Rose Acholonu, founder and pioneer president of the Association, now Director, Centre for Development Studies, Imo State University, Owerri, Professor Rose Achunine, Executive Director, Association for the Promotion of Solar Energy for Domestic and Industrial Use, Dr. Chinelo Echeruo, Chief Medical Director, Federal Ministry of Defence, Abuja and Dr. Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, Director General, Nigerian Stock Exchange.