Gov Peter Obi’s reflections on Mother’s Day dwells on how to pull over 50 million out of extreme poverty.
I like to use the chance provided by one of the Mother’s Day celebrations to salute and honour Nigerian mothers.
They play a very vital role in shaping the citizens of our nation. From procreation through early child formation and to adulthood, Mothers play very inestimable roles in the lives of the citizens and nation-building.
Today, therefore, presents us with another golden opportunity to celebrate them for their motherly love and their many sacrifices both in keeping the family front strong and and contributing immensely to national progress and development.
Our mothers have remained the source of strength, the symbol of peace and togetherness, the guiding light and beacon of hope to us both in the families and in the larger societies.
With our nation going through very difficult times, fighting extreme hunger and starvation, mothers seem to be the most hit as they bear the brunt of keeping the home front.
Reports by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund show that women constitute over 60% of the poorest people in Nigeria. Going by the IMF statistics that Nigeria has about 90 million people in extreme poverty, over 50 million women are in extreme poverty.
Reports show that Nigeria is only behind India, a country seven times our population, in maternal deaths globally. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa says that one in seven global maternal deaths occurs in Nigeria. Therefore, in celebrating our mothers today, Nigeria must commit itself to critical areas of human development, being;
- health, which will reverse our poor health facilities and reduce our maternal mortality;
- education, which will ensure that our young girls who will eventually become mothers are properly educated; and
- pulling people out of poverty, especially our women, which is critical to celebrating our mothers today.
Women have been shown to contribute more in the fight against poverty. Examples abound in many Asian countries like Bangladesh where women are the engine of poverty eradication.
As we maintain, a New Nigeria is POssible.
Peter Obi: Reflections on Mother’s Day
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