The Igbo Market Women Organisation in Lagos celebrated her 10th year anniversary at the Old School hall, National Stadium Surulere, Lagos. The event attracted the cream-de-la-cream in Nigeria especially great illustrious sons of Igbo. The group is being led by Hon. Mrs. Nelly Okafor Ekwueme. The successes and landmark achievements recorded by the organization, no doubt, reveals her super administrative prowess.
The crew of The Unique Model magazine had a chat with the President of the association Hon. Chief Nelly Okafor Ekwueme and she revealed her plans about the organization, growth and their decision to empower the widows. She also commended the governor of Lagos state, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his support.
Excerpt:
Madam Nelly Okafor Ekwueme, can you tell us what is happening here today?
Thank you very much, today we are celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Igbo Market Women Organisation, Lagos and as well we are also doing empowerment programme for the widows and the petty traders that are involved in Igbo Market traders in Lagos state.
Can you tell us your intention of doing this?
The reason behind what we are doing today is because we the Igbo Market Women in Lagos want to use this medium to bring all the Igbos, whether you are in the market, whether you’re in the street, as long as you do anything that has to do with exchange of currency in Lagos state, for us all to come on board and united the more. Because we have known that in Lagos state majority of Igbo women are in Market, most are in the street, most are across roads of Lagos, so the purpose of our programme today is to bring all these women on board and as well to empower them in a little way that we can. So that the ones that are less-privileged can also go back to their businesses because we know that women in Lagos, women nationwide and women in Nigeria mostly are the bread winners of most families.
Madam, what plans do you have to address the issue of harassment by agboros and touts, who demand multiple taxes and rates from the market women?
Thank you very much, when it comes to issue of marketing and women, for road side businesses, we know that most of our women engage on road side businesses, yes, there is no trade or commercial areas where you will not come across such things like touts, agboros, as long as Lagos state is concern. But, we are only trying to minimize it, especially to our less –privileged market women, who cannot afford to be paying high rate of fund to all those people in-charge of the market.
But we don’t limit to anybody because we know that the marketing authorities also need this fund for the maintenance of the environment, we are only appealing that the people that are in the market that are in custody and in controls of what happens at the environment or markets in Lagos just bring down the price of the fund a little bit so that it will be affordable to them. And as well it will not take them out of the market.
Looking at the programme today, are you satisfied with what happened here today?
Actually, I must be grateful to almighty God for making today a great day in the life of the Igbos in market, not only the women, but when we talk of the Igbos in market, especially women why we are embarking on this programme, we have target, and the target we have is to call upon the Lagos State Government, His Excellency, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in Lagos especially to help the women who are less-privileged, who cannot get to the top, who does not have the mouth that will speak for them, and we are also relying on them because they have been doing it, but we want more from them. We want them to give our women soft loan, and as well create an enabling environment, which they have been doing but we said that we are Oliver Twist, that we are asking for more. That the women that are in market, most of us are into market street and otherwise, but we are applying to Lagos State government to come and assist our women in giving us soft loan, and more enabling environment and as well bring our women on board on the government of Lagos.
Because, we have capable and credible women who are in the market and also political, that can stand there and be the voice that can be speaking for the women, so we are appealing as a result of this programme that the Lagos state should intervene in the Igbo Market Women in Lagos. As you all have heard us, today we believe that we stay in Lagos, Lagos is our home and here is where we do our businesses, and Lagos is where we raise our children, and most of our children are in public schools in Lagos, and today most of them have graduated, and become somebody, and most of our husbands and children are also doing business in Lagos so the land of Lagos had accommodated we the Igbos. The Land of Lagos have blessed we the Igbos and we want to use this medium of what we did today to appreciate our people and also advise them for us to pay back to the land of Lagos. Because we believe that since the Lagos state accommodated us without problem, we are appealing that our women, should pay back, that is one of the things that we experience today. That they should come on board in this forthcoming election and we shall come out with full force, with our bloc votes to vote for the right candidates, especially, here in Lagos State, starting from His Excellency Babajide Sanwo – Olu, Bola Ahmed Tinubu for presidency and as well all the House of Representatives, especially my Oga who is Hon. Ganiyu Johnson, the House of Representatives representing Oshodi/Isolo, Constituency 11, and all the House of Assemblies in Lagos state.
Can you tell us why your organization, the Igbo Market Women decided to empower the Igbo widows here today?
This is our 10th year anniversary, this programme is what we have been funding for the past years, but we decided to do the anniversary because we want the people to understand and know what we are doing over the years, we have been doing this with our own personal money, and contribution of some partners, so, likewise some of our patrons, and matrons who have been assisting us.
And today, we will tell you that we are so appreciative to his Excellency Governor Babajide Sanwo – Olu who has contributed in the empowerment we did today through the leadership of Dr. Festus Uchenna that’s the G-50 president. So we want to appreciate him for what he has done today. We know it might not be much for women because today we have over 2000 plus women that we cannot even be able to control because they are much, with regards to what we have to empower them. But we believe by special grace of God, that if his Excellency can do this little for us now, we believe he can do even more next time. So, we really appreciate and appreciate them once again.
Any plan to extend Igbo Market Women to other parts of Nigeria?
We are called Igbo Market Women Association Lagos Nigeria, we have the plan of spreading this forum to other states in other parts of Nigeria for them to also inculcate in what we are doing because we are expecting international body that will come in because we know that here in Lagos, we have the structure and we have what it takes, just that we need the assistance of the people and the assistance of the government. We have already started making plans in other states, to start grooming a fresh platform of Igbo market women, or even Igbo Women that are in market, so that it will be laudable on the same vision and on the same platform.