By Nkechinyere Ewa-Okpara
It was a celebration of womanhood, culture, and empowerment as the wife of the Federal House of Representatives Member for Ikwo/Ezza South Constituency, Chief Mrs. Mary Chinedu Ogah (Oso di eme), hosted the 2025 August Meeting for women of her constituency, distributing food items and materials worth millions of naira.
The colourful event, held at Blessed Martin’s International School of Science and Technology, Ohatekwe Amagu, Ikwo Local Government Area, attracted many women groups, political leaders, and stakeholders across Ebonyi State.
Uzoamaka Nwifuru, represented by Felicia Nwankpuma, commissioner for women affairs in the state, described the August meeting as a unifying factor for women and urged women to imbibe the lessons learnt.
In her address, Mrs. Ogah charged mothers and married women to remain faithful to their spouses, describing faithfulness as a virtue that guarantees peace, unity, and stability in homes. She applauded the Ebonyi First Lady, Chief Mrs. Maudlin Uzoamaka Ogbonna Nwifuru (Ogbanku), for her leadership in promoting women’s inclusiveness in governance.
She also commended the First Lady’s foundation, Better Health for Rural Women, Children, and Internally Displaced Persons (BERWO), for its consistent outreach to elderly women and the less privileged.
“This Federal Constituency August Meeting is an annual event that brings together women from Ikwo and Ezza South. This year, we focused on faithfulness as a virtue. Different companies partnered with us to enlighten women on issues they may not ordinarily know because of limited educational opportunities,” Mrs. Ogah said.
“To train a woman is to train a nation. A faithful woman embodies self-reliance, obedience, peace, tolerance, and commitment to God’s grace.”
The programme featured medical outreach, recognition awards, a cooking, dancing, beauty contest competition sponsored by Honeywell, dance contests, and distribution of food items, including 1,500 bags of rice, 1,000 bags of garri, bags of onions, Maggie and other household essentials.
Representing the governor, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Grace Umezuruike, hailed the initiative as “an act of good representation,” noting that the August Meeting provides women a platform to celebrate, learn, and strengthen their bonds.
“As you can see, the crowd here is massive, and the programme has something for everybody, both young and old. It is impactful because every year women keep learning, improving, and getting more involved in politics and leadership,” Umezuruike stated.
In his goodwill message, the Federal lawmaker representing Ikwo/Ezza South, Hon. Chinedu Ogah, said the August Meeting remains a vital way of appreciating women, whom he described as “the backbone of political participation in Nigeria.”
“Women constitute about 65% of our voters, so we must celebrate them. That is why we host the August Meeting every year in partnership with Honeywell and other stakeholders. They are peacemakers, the strength of every household, and indeed, my own strength,” Hon. Ogah said.
He further assured his constituents of his commitment to supporting women-focused programmes, noting that the APC-led administration under Governor Francis Nwifuru remains gender-friendly and will continue to empower women to take active roles in politics and governance.
Dignitaries at the event included the wife of the Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Mrs. Flora Ije Odunwa, the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Ilang Donatus, Ezza South Local Government Chairman, Hon. Mrs. Euphemia Nwali, who served as the chairman of the occasion,prof Anthony Itumo and his wife, women associations, and cultural groups from both Ikwo and Ezza South.