The Trade Union Congress (TUC) Women Commission says the South East geopolitical zone of the country is safe more than it is being portrayed in the traditional and social media.
The National Chairperson of the Commission, Comrade Hafsat Shaibu made the disclosure in Enugu on Thursday at the 2021 Annual Seminar of the Commission.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the event was entitled “Bad Parenting, Causes and Effects: Challenges of Women in Trade Unions and Charting Solutions Towards Building a Better Society for all.”
Shaibu said the programme was an annual event and they decided to hold it in the South East to see for themselves the level of insecurity in the region.
She stressed that what people said about the region to a large extent was not true.
“I was in Anambra two weeks ago and I arrived Enugu on Monday being the proposed sit-at-home.
“We drove all the way from airport to hotel and later went out same evening, I can assure you that everything was fine because nothing happened to us participants.
“All they say about the zone to a large extent is not true because nothing was shown to me,” Shaibu said.
She urged Nigerians not to heighten the tension in the zone, saying that it was only few miscreants that hid somewhere to foment troubles for others.
“I pray God will touch their hearts because if you need something and decided to kill your own brothers, what will happen if you eventually get it.
“I want to encourage everybody in Nigeria and the globe to feel free to visit the southeast,” she said.
The chairperson said that the theme of the programme was everything facing the country currently.
She blamed the challenges on bad parentage, adding that most parents were being carried away by their jobs, abandoning their parental roles.
“As a union, we are not exempted from it because we have families and children.
“We decided to teach ourselves on good parenting which will be taking back to our different communities,” she explained.
Shaibu added that they gave Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu award of excellence due to his style of leadership.
According to her, Ugwuanyi is being honoured for being gender and workers friendly.
Paying of minimum wage, she said, and having a woman as his deputy and appointed many other women into his cabinet members as well as supporting his wife in empowering women and girl child.
”All these inspired us to bestowed the award on the Governor,” she said.
Shaibu, therefore urged other governors in the country to emulate him in appointing women into different positions in their various states.
Receiving the award on behalf of the governor, the state Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, Mr Uche Ogbonna said Ugwuanyi was gender sensitive.
Ugwuanyi said the award had shown that women were also reciprocating his kind gesture to them.
The governor thanked them for recognising him, noting that women would perform better if given opportunity in leadership.
In his remark, Chairman, TUC, Enugu Chapter, Mr Ben Asogwa said women had vital role to play in upbringing of their children and wards to make a better society.
He described the relationship between workers in the state and Enugu State government as ‘cordial and loving’. (NAN)
