The Anambra State Commissioner For Women and Social Welfare, Mrs Ifeoma Obinabor, has reiterated that there is no hiding place for child traffickers in Anambra State.
The Commissioner, was speaking while receiving in audience the State Director, National Orientation Agency, (NOA),Sir Joseph Uchendu and his Management team who paid her a courtesy call and advocacy visit in her office at the Professor Dora Akunyili Development Center, Awka.
Mrs Obinabor, who observed that there are lots of undiscovered child manufacturing centers in various parts of Anambra State and astronomical increase on child trafficking in the state, maintained that the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare under her watch is ever ready to work with Agencies with similar mandates to rid the State off of obnoxious practices against women and children.
Commissioner Obinabor, who noted that her office has a lot of cases now, also spoke on the intention of the ministry to delegate some works to the Agencies and Associations which has what it takes to work with the Ministry in the total fight against Child abuse and other crimes and criminalities meted against widows in the
State.
She noted that the Ministry is ready to embark on a full time sensitization and re-orientation of the people with a view to making them to understanding the consequences of engaging into evil acts and cultural activities inimical to the individual in the state,stating that ignorance of the law is not an excuse.
She restated the intention of the Ministry to collaborate with NOA and other like minded stakeholders to go into full time discussion concerning the protection of girl child
rights in the State as well as the women, especially the widows and the down trodden.
Briefing the Commissioner on the philosophy behind the visit, the NOA State Director, Sir Joseph Uchendu, assured the Commissioner that the Agency is willing to collaborate with the Ministry in it’s programme implementation geared towards achievement of a competitive and progressive social order as envisioned by the Solution Agenda of the State Governor, His Excellency,Prof Charles Soludo,as one of the five pillars for turning Anambra state into a secure and prosperous homeland or megacity.
He commended the Commissioner for her past track records in the State ,especially in the media and congratulated her for her appointment as a Commissioner of Women and Social Welfare in the State, adding that NOA is ready to work with the Ministry in the areas of Mobilization and Sensitization of the people to buy into the development programmes of Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo in the State .
The NOA boss who wittily spoke on the mandates of NOA in the course of the event with particular reference to value orientation and promotion of the principles of social justice, assured that NOA would keep on telling the people what they needed to know for their holistic development and self realization .
Sir Uchendu, who spoke among other things, commended Governor Soludo’s developement agenda for Ndi-Anambra which, he said were synonymous with what NOA preaches in the State .
He emphasized without equivocation that Governor Soludo has done extremely well in areas of maintenance of law and order, security, competitive economy and provision of sound health facilities for Ndi-Anambra with a view to making Anambra State habitable, prosperous and above all livable for all.
While pleading that NOA is ready to also be part and parcel of the development agenda of the government in the State under the watch of Governor Soludo , the NOA State Director, Sir, Uchendu, equally reminded the Commissioner that her office and the Social Justice unit of NOA have the same goals to exploit towards bettering the lives of the suffering widows and the down trodden in the State.
Speaking, the Deputy Director, Special Duties ,NOA, Awka ,Mrs Ifeoma Chijioke, commended the Commissioner’s zeal in the total fight geared towards all round liberation of Anambra State Women from obnoxious practices, especially the widows and the under privileged young girls in the State .
She suggested that a town hall meeting should be organized by the two sister organizations for the Traditional Rulers in the State with a view to educating them more on all they needed to know about the protection of a girl child rights, harmful practices against widows,child trafficking and sexual abuse among others as well as penalties for such practices.