Warns Against Multiple Social Club Memberships
By Emeka Chiaghanam
The Executive Director of the Gender Empowerment and Rights
Initiative Foundation (GERIF), Hon. Ify Obinabo, has called on women,
particularly mothers, to uphold the virtues of sound parenting, responsible
womanhood and strong family values as essential ingredients for building a
morally upright society.
Playing a special guest role at the Awka Catholic Women
Organization of the Catholic Diocese of Awka during their August meeting held
at St. Patrick's Catholic Cathedral, Awka, Hon. Obinabo stressed that the
family remains the foundation of society, noting that mothers occupy a
strategic position in shaping the character, discipline and future of their
children.
According to Obinabo, effective parenting goes beyond
providing food, clothing and education, but also requires parents to provide
moral guidance, emotional support, discipline and good examples for their
children.
The GERIF Executive Director urged mothers to be deliberate
in the way they raise their children, especially in an era where young people
are increasingly exposed to influences from social media, peer groups and other
external sources, emphasising the importance of mothers being available to
listen to their children, understand their challenges and guide them through
the different stages of life.
Obinabo also spoke extensively on the virtues of womanhood,
urging Catholic women and women in general to remain role models in their
homes, churches and communities. She described women as important pillars of
family stability and called on them to cultivate virtues such as humility,
integrity, compassion, wisdom, hard work and responsibility.
Obinabo, however, expressed concern over what she described
as the growing tendency among some women, especially mothers, to belong to
multiple social clubs and organisations.
According to her, while social organisations can provide
opportunities for networking, mutual assistance and community development,
excessive membership of multiple clubs could have negative consequences when it
begins to take priority over family responsibilities.
Obinabo, who is the immediate past Commissioner for Women
and Social Welfare in Governor Chukwuma Soludo's first tenure in Anambra State,
warned that constant meetings, ceremonies, levies, financial obligations and
other social engagements could place unnecessary pressure on women and reduce
the quality time they spend with their husbands and children.
“Women should be careful not to allow social engagements to
take the place of their primary responsibilities as mothers and wives,” she
advised.
Obinabo encouraged women to be selective and purposeful
about the organisations they join, urging them to consider the financial,
emotional and time commitments involved before taking on additional
memberships, noting that membership of such social groups is very demanding and
therefore requires adequate preparation.
She also called for greater cooperation between husbands and
wives in parenting, stressing that raising responsible children should be
regarded as a shared responsibility.
The GERIF boss further urged members of the Awka Catholic
Women Organization to use their various platforms to promote peace, unity,
charity, education and the welfare of vulnerable members of society, with a
firm promise that her organisation, GERIF, remains a platform they can explore
for the cause of gender and vulnerable people.
She commended the Catholic women for their contributions to
the Church and society, and urged them to continue to deploy their collective
strength towards initiatives that improve the wellbeing of families and
communities.
The August meeting provided an opportunity for members to
reflect on the responsibilities of women in contemporary society, particularly
the need to balance social activities with family obligations, faith and
community service.
Hon. Obinabo concluded by urging the women to remember that
their greatest legacy would not be the number of social clubs they belonged to,
but the quality of lives they influenced, particularly the values and character
they instilled in their children.
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