Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has called on parents, particularly mothers, to devote more time to instilling proper etiquette and values in the girl-child for a better future.
The governor made the call on Thursday when members of the Izzi Women group paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House Lodge, Abakaliki, as part of activities marking the 2025 Ojiji New Yam Festival.
Speaking in the local dialect, Nwifuru urged women to embrace their responsibility of training daughters to imbibe discipline, acquire good manners, and prepare for life’s challenges.
He described the Ojiji festival as an annual celebration of traditional meals, community bonding, and cultural identity, stressing the need for women to also maintain family harmony as part of sustaining Izzi values for socio-economic development.
The governor’s wife, Mrs. Mary-Maudline Nwifuru, thanked the women for the visit and assured them of her continued support through her pet project, Better Health for Rural Women, Children and Internally Displaced Persons Foundation.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development in the state, Barrister Felicia Nwankpuma, and the leader of the delegation, Mrs. Chinyere Nwogbaga, pledged to uphold Izzi cultural values through proper child upbringing.
Other women leaders, including Mrs. Helen Nwaobasi and Mrs. Patience Ogodo, lauded Governor Nwifuru-led administration’s commitment to women’s inclusion in governance and promised sustained support for government programmes.
