Women on rampage: Women Demonstrate in Support of N4 Billion African First Ladies Peace House

Women and youths from different organizations yesterday staged a
peaceful demonstration in support of the proposed N4 billion African
First Ladies Peace Mission Secretariat in Abuja.


The groups, numbering over 3,000 carried placards with various
inscriptions such as"Abuja has come to stay; FCT is Working; Nigerian
Women Support African First Ladies Peace Mission; Young Women
Entrepreneurs Support African Peace Mission."


The women embarked on a protest match from Women Development Centre,
Abuja through Tafawa Balewa Way and later submitted a letter to the
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed for
onward submission to President Goodluck Jonathan.


Speaking at the occasion, Nancy Godwin Bulus, President National
Council of Women Societies (NCWS), explained the rationale behind the
protest, stressing that it was meant to drum support for the building
of the African First Ladies Peace Mission Secretariat in Abuja.
According to her, it is a"unique project, which all Nigerian women
want. We are appealing to the National Assembly to approve the budget
for the project. It is an honour to have the project situated in
Nigeria and all Nigerian women and children stand to benefit a lot
from it," she said.


In their separate remarks at the occasion, Mrs. Uchenna Adekunle, Mrs.
Felicia Sani andMurtala Mohammed Tanko, Leaders of Hairdressers and
Barbers Association of Nigeria, Market Women Association and Youths
Association in Gwagwa, FCT, respectively, expressed support for the
choice of Abuja as the host of the Peace Mission Secretariat, pointing
out that the First Lady, Dame Jonathan will not take the building to
Bayelsa after leaving office."Anything that concerns women in this
country is always treated with kid gloves, it is not fair. The Act
that created FCDA mandates it to erect public buildings on behalf of
the Federal Government for use byall ministries, departments and
agencies. FCDA built Women Development Centre, National Hospital and
others; so, why must African First Ladies Peace Mission House be
different?" one of the leaders asked.


Addressing the protesters, FCT Minister Senator Bala Mohammed, who
said that he had to be excused from the Federal Executive Council
meeting at the Aso Villa to receive the group, expressed appreciation
for their orderly conduct, just as he assuredthem that the Jonathan
administration was not working for the "egocentric, academic and other
opposition politicians who used jargons to deceive and delude
Nigerians."