IMO 2013 August Meeting: Women As Agent Of Development And Unity
Last Tuesday, September 10, 2013, will remain green in the hearts of Imo women as they thronged to Heroes Square in their thousands for the Grand Finale of this year's August Meeting, where they were not totally alone but were supported by their husbands and generally men folks.
True to Governor Okorocha's assertion, women are agents of development and unity.
"Show me a successful man, I will show you a good wife behind him", said Okorocha. While showering encomium on women for their resilience, steadfast, creativity and accommodating spirit, he adored his wife Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha for her excellence in all she ventures into, which has never allowed her lose her humility and strength of character".
It was an exemplary show of bravery, focus, determination and resolute character, and Unity of purpose towards achieving a goal by the wife of Imo State Governor, Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha and Imo women during the unique grand finale of 2013 August meeting held at Heroes Square, Concorde Boulevard.
August Meeting in Igbo land remains the heart of the month when vital decisions especially development issues are discussed. Again, August Meeting are periods where issues of concern whether security or value system of a people are deliberated upon and vital decisions taken. Meanwhile, it is a period when there is a showcase of all the cherished cultural heritage of the people for the purposes of transferring such cherished culture from generation to generation. Most importantly, it is a period when difficult cruises capable of causing disharmony are collectively resolved therefore fostering unity and oneness of heart in purpose.
Imo State under Governor Okorocha administration has witnessed a lot of changes during Annual August Meetings, which hitherto used to be fora for jamboree of a sort. Since the inception of Owelle Rochas Okorocha's August Meeting now comes with a well thought out Theme with a view to adding value to the gathering of families, communities and a people. 2012 was themed Women as Agents of Transformation. It came lectures and interaction session where women were tasked to get back to the role for which they were known.
2013 was no less a fascinating one with another well researched theme: Managing Stress and Unity of Purpose. The root causes of stress and its consequent anomalies were highlighted. The strategic role of women to keep nerves down in their various homes were also discussed. The high point of the program was getting back to what makes us love and makes us live in unity as a family. Do we have to always relish the old days when nothing has really changed. What were those things that brought man and woman together and made fall over hills in love? How about creating time for recreation for couple? Eating habits and eschewing those things that cause tension at homes? To the joy of couples in Imo State, they rediscovered their youthful age and danced in love with their husbands. It was a moment to keep to always revisit.
The most humbling moment was to behold Grannies of well over eighty years teach the younger ones what it meant to work together as a couple. Asking them what they have learned in life, the Grannies said, " we do not know what hypertension is. We have always faced every challenge that came our way with ease and ended up surmounting it. It is all about working together. We discussed our issues and face them. We pray together and God has never left us. We are blessed and we still remember our youthful dance steps". Guess what, those were my heroes of the grand finale of the Imo 2013 August Meeting.
Again there is lesson to be learnt from women when they mean to achieve a goal. this played out during the half time into the event when heavy down pour descended the venue of the Event but to the consternation of the visitors, Imo women did not move an inch. They rather resorted to using Umbrellas to reduce the the drench of the rain while continuing their contest and other programmes lined up at the grand finale of the event.
The virtues woman of the bible again without sounding immodest was found in the wife of Imo State Governor, Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha. she at no time has ever been seen join issues with anyone. she is calm respecting her crown as the heart of her home. her last birthday was such that her in-laws could not hold voicing out her rare accommodating spirit always worried about the welfare of others than herself. Governor Okorocha has never pretended telling the whole world how his wife has stooped for them to conquer the challenges of life and she has not given in.
Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha, a beautiful heart, has become a role model to most women and girl child. little wonder she could be a mother of over seven thousand children without a complaint. On two occasions, I have witnessed this woman cook and fed all her children during the burial of the Owelle Rochas Okoroch's mother. Again, I saw her play her usual motherly role with happiness and peace of heart to thousand of her children during the 50th birthday of her husband.
She toured twenty seven local governments of Imo State during August Meeting as A guest lecturer with rare humility and playing a character of a woman who knows what it means to be a among the down trodden. all theough the tour, there was no scandal. She knows what to say and will never be found with vain words. intellectually, she has proven to all that she is a woman of beauty with brain as she has refused to be left put among the few smooth talking women with oratory prowess. i am sorry, let us not forget that she is the wife of a fine talker, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
Women are the backbone of their various families and so are they even in the societies. Whosoever that disregards women is sailing under illusion.Who has ever thought about building houses for indigent widows in the rural communities. It takes a woman like Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha with a husband who has a firsthand belief in given to the poor.
Unity of Purpose is no longer a mere hypothesis as it has played out between Owelle Rochas Okorocha and his wife Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha. In her " She Needs a roof Project, two hundred and seventy houses are being built for indigent women in rural communities with financial empowerment. What else shall we ask of this woman of virtue.
Lessons from Imo August Meeting is that of cultural rejuvenation. Rediscovering what binds us together in our homes will to a very large extent unify us the more. For, if the family, the bedrock of the society is successful, it will invariably have a positive effect in our society. We teach our children tribalism at home. We teach our children disrespect the way we disregard our wives and husbands. We fail when we work in diverse purposes.
Team players are made from home not from the lecture rooms. Great Managers begin to imbibe the spirit from home before the classrooms. Nagging women and quarrelsome men at home do not make good working relationship in their working places and these are also the same people who will end up with stress and high blood pressure.
Creative thinking from Imo State First Lady as it stands today will go a long way to change the orientation of various families in Imo State today thereby making Imo State and the entire Nation better.