“We can now celebrate peace”~Madam Longjohn

With a few weeks before the Golden Jubilee Celebration,  Africa Update had a chat with the First Lady of Asari Toru Local Government Area, Rivers State, and The President National Council of Women Society of Nigeria, Asari Toru chapter, Madam Fabiawari Longjohn, to discuss the significance of the event. Excerpts:

By the end of this month, May 29, 2017, Rivers State will be celebrating her 50th anniversary.  What will you say will be the thing to celebrate about? Is it the peace or other things you think are worth celebrating? 

Right now, the celebration has been going on, the Jubilee. We can now celebrate peace. Then we want to commend our Golden Governor,  Chief Nyesom Wike,  for appointing two women, from Justice Daisy Okocha to the present one, Justice Lami Iyaye as Chief Judge of Rivers State.

The love our honorable governor , his Excellency,  has for women has also led to the appointment of two women as Chairpersons of caretaker committees of  Two local government councils.

He has basically set aside, May 11, to celebrate women of Rivers State. I will urge all women in Rivers State to come out in their number to celebrate our Golden Governor as well as our jubilee governor.

Our jubilee governor has the love for women, he has given us different days to celebrate our activities. Women went out on different days in April to pray for the peace of Rivers State. We have been on that process.

Right now, on Friday (yesterday), women were involved in different crafts, on his instruction and initiative, to showcase their culture across the 23 local government area.

This is to showcase our rich culture to our children. This will showcase our culture from 1967 to 1999 until date, to make sure women and children don’t forget our culture.

What is your advice to women, as Rivers State celebrate its golden jubilee?

What we are doing in essence is to advice the women to take care of their homes, to take care of their families . we advice the women to have children they can care for, because we know that the decision to make a family is a choice. Women should have few children.

We also urge women to attend the event coming up on May 11, which is set aside to celebrate women. Women will display their culture. We will teach them craft,  how to bake and sew, to enable these women take care of themselves and their families.

Are there other plans to empower the women of Rivers State ?

Our jubilee Governor has done that before, through the Rivers State Micro Finance Agency (RIMA). He approved the disbursement of loan to women to enable them start petty trade.

He gave this loan through the RIMA office, he has done that and a lot of women received . I also received mine.

As the first lady of Asari Toru Council, what plans do you have concerning the forthcoming jubilee celebration?

Before this jubilee celebration, the chairman, Hon. Wright Promise Warmate, had empowered 60 women from different wards in the local government. The jubilee chairman has concluded plans to sponsor 50 women to participate in the upcoming event, thereby empowering them.

We have seen several chairmen, but my husband, my son became the jubilee chairman, so everything is in place to enable the women fully participate alongside other local government councils.