By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The Cross River State branch of Nigeria Association of women Journalists, NAWOJ, yesterday in Calabar joined its national body to observe a two hours solemn assembly to seek God’s intervention to end insecurity challenge in Nigeria.
In a prayer section, the association’s Vice President for Zone F, Mrs. Uduak Obeten, stated that the call for the national solemn assembly across the 36 states in Nigeria by NAWOJ’s National President, Ladi Bala, was as a result of the insecurity situation troubling the nation.
The NAWOJ Vice President expressed worry over the rising wave of killings, banditry and kidnapping of school children, and called for a drastic action by the Federal Government to put an end to the banditry and killings that has made life miserable in Nigeria.
She said, “Due to the unrest going on everywhere in the country, the National President of NAWOJ came up with the call to all the 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, for women to rise up to cry to God in prayer for peace in our society, for our children that have been kidnapped severally, banditry and so much insecurity.
“Why do we wait for the worst to happen? It shouldn’t be, the time is now, so NAWOJ is saying we don’t want to wait for the worst to happen, women in Cross River State, women in Nigeria, in the South- South, the time is now for us to cry and seek the face of God to intervene. We are saying enough to banditry, we are saying enough to kidnapping and shedding of blood.”
In her remarks, the Cross River State NAWOJ chairperson, Mrs. Umoh Bassey, lamented how the insecurity situation in Nigeria has gone beyond the capacity of the leaders, as she called on the women journalists in the country to go on their knees to pray for God’s intervention.
Bassey, who was represented by the Vice Chairman, Mrs. Rekpene Uket, at the solemn assembly stated, “When women pray, things happen. We have seen the security challenges in the nation and we looked at it and discovered that when the chips are down, the women are the worst hit, because our husbands and children will be taken and we will be left empty, we don’t want to wait for that to happen, that is why we are calling upon God. The security apparatus have failed, our leaders have failed, but God will never fail us.”
Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of NUJ, Mrs. Florence Kanu, who spoke on behalf of the NUJ Chairman, Mr. Victor Odu, lauded women journalists for initiating the prayer session to heal the country from the current afflictions.
She said, “We are no longer safe and you know the role of women in the society, when we cry to God, He hears us, that is why we have gathered today and this is happening in all the 36 states of the federation.”
In his remarks, the officiating minister in the solemn assembly, Rt Rev. Okonawan, assisted by Pastor (Mrs.) Olaitan Uwem, urged the political leaders to join the women in praying for the soul of the country.
Okonawan said, “It is really a good thing to seek the face of God and I thank God our women are kick starting it, because our nation is passing through a situation where we cannot as human beings help ourselves, it is only divine intervention and we are believing strongly in God, He will not abandon us, just as he has been saving Israel, He will also save the nation from insecurity, blood-shed of innocent people, kidnapping and all the likes, I believe He will save Nigeria.”
