Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), was bore out of a need to create a platform where Ijaw Women could express themselves on issues that bothers on their everyday life ranging from domestic to economic and political issues. Women face challenges even as multi taskers. They run homes where they are expected to raise good children, be good wives and at the same time earn incomes to assist in the upkeep of their families. These high expectations coupled with her individual standards of success in her everyday life brings tremendous pressure on the woman. All of these foster her need to express verbally the experiences that she has internalised.
Many Ijaw Women crumble into balls of pitiful confusion when they are alone, because their carefully masked issues surface in solitude. Poor choices they have made or circumstances of early CHILD BIRTH makes them prey to depression and insecurity. These unresolved issues makes us as women from the Ijaw extraction emotional liabilities to ourselves even as parents. Hence some like minds of Ijaw women from the six Ijaw speaking States, decided to marry up their experiences, ideas and strength to give birth to this agitation/emancipation platform the Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), to speak for every Ijaw Woman both at home and in the Diaspora.
INTRODUCTION:
Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), is a socio-cultural, non partisan, pressure organisation that governs the Ijaw Women Worldwide, and was conceived out of the burning quest of the Ijaw Women in conquering their fears and boundaries by embracing gender equality and waking up to the realization of women participation in all spheres of life.
Just like the AREWA WOMEN CONSULTATIVE FORUM, that governs the Northern Women, The ADA EZE OF INDIGBO, an Organisation for all Igbo women both at home and abroad, The ODUDUWA WOMEN GROUP et’al, that rules the Yoruba women, and the Ijaws been the fourth largest Ethnic Nationality in Nigeria, these elites of Ijaw women deem it necessary to be self actualizing and determined to come up with this body to foster unity, bonding, peace, love and bring all Ijaw women under one umbrella organisation to speak one voice.
Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), comprises of all Ijaw women from the six Ijaw speaking states, though balkanized.
1. Akwa-Ibom
2. Rivers
3. Bayelsa
4. Delta
5. Edo
6. Ondo.
PROSPECT:
The main prospect of the IWC, is to create an enabling environment for the Ijaw Women all over to have a legitimate right as every other citizens in their respective states despite our balkanization. This platform is called the Eagle eyes for the transformation of the Ijaw woman. Give the Ijaw woman a fair playing ground in every sector of the Nigeria economy.
The birth of Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), is to ensure that every Ijaw woman have access to good health care facilities, recognised and shaped into the society in all levels from Rural and Urban dwellers. The need for all Ijaw women to rise up and fight for their rights and that of their daughters yet unborn can not be over emphasized.
In the past, Ijaw women have been mocked and mimicked as baby making factories, Ijaw women have been abused with cases of early child birth and that stigma still follow us as Ijaw Women till date. The Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), is a call for all Ijaw women to unite and kick out illiteracy, resist intimidation, victimisation, marginalization and further oppression even in the hands of our men, we are partners to men and not slaves or servants. We must take our destinies in our hands and make ourselves a better people to compete and contest with other notable women of character in all ramifications of life worldwide. We have the potentials, these we must harnassed and utilised to stand out as other women. Greatness is our watch word henceforth.
CULTURE:
When we declare ourselves as “Ijaw Women”, we first of all identify ourselves on the basis of culture. We need to state the grounds of our identity more explicitly, and do more to define, defend, and promote the Ijaw Culture. It is important to note that the loss of Ijaw culture means the death of the “Ijaw Nation”. Some form of nation may continue after the destruction of Ijaw Culture, but it cannot be an Ijaw Nation. What then, have we been doing about the preservation of the Ijaw Culture, and what can we do from now on as Ijaw Nation? We therefore call on all Ijaws to henceforth do everything within their power to preserve the Ijaw Culture.
STRATEGY:
Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), is a membership driven organisation as practised everywhere and believes that the key to developing any human framework is information. In this regard, the founder and initiator of this platform COMRADE. ROSEMARY GRAHAM NAINGBA, Created the Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), on Facebook page in August, 2013, to enable Ijaw women from all over the world to connect first and identify with themselves as we know that the social media is the fastest place to sell information.
According to her,, the call become imperative in view of the prevailing circumstances which the Ijaw women in Edo, Delta, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Ondo and Bayelsa states as she moved round the creeks of the Ijaw Nation saw for herself the suffering of the downtrodden Ijaw women.
The Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), she said, is a platform to agitate for the economic, social, political, and religious emancipation of the Ijaw Women Worldwide. And in less than a year the group buzzed membership to over three thousand Ijaw women hitting the join group button and identifying with their Ijaw sisters from all over the six Ijaw speaking States and those in the diaspora. Where we began by interacting through shared and collective experiences and create ideas of making the “Ijaw Nation” move forward.
OUR SCOPE:
One of the scope of this organisation is the carefully crafted sensitization programs embarked upon by members, where enlightened Ijaw women go round the creeks of the Ijaw Nation to sensitize, educate and address some of our core issues that bothers on us as Ijaw Women.
Educated elites of Ijaw women under this platform will engage the creek women on human capacity building, community development services through the women, empowerment and total transformation of the Ijaw women.
One of such programmed already embarked upon was on the 25th April, 2014, Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), led by the President Comrade. Rosemary Graham Naingba, visited and held a TOWN HALL MEETING/SENSITIZATION TALKS, At OFUNAMA, Mother clan of the Egbema Kingdom with the Ijaws of Edo State
On the 11th July, 2014, Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), storms EASTERN OBOLO/IBENO, the Ijaws of Akwa-Ibow State, to hold yet another TOWN HALL MEETING/SENSITIZATION TALKS with the Ijaw women at Amazaba creeks and Eastern Obolo secondary School ISOTOYO. On the 5th and 6th of September, 2014, it was remarkable as IWC went to the creeks of Apoi/Arogbo to hold another explosive TOWN HALL MEETING/SENSITIZATION TALKS AND EBOLA AWARENESS CAMPAIGN With the Ijaw women of Ondo State and distributed hand sanitizers to the locals. IWC also visited Ogulagha Community in Delta State to preach to the Ijaw women of Ogulagha on the need for women participation in the community executive council, as we look forward to repositioning Ijaw women in every tier of government.
CONCLUSION:
The Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), is prepared to deliver the Ijaw women in all capacity, because we must salvage the situation, we must urgently and critically re-double our collective efforts to deal with extant challenges and those ahead.
Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), will ensure that we take serious the issues of grooming female leader, tutelage, performance track record and consistency of actions from the Ijaw extraction, because we must truly demonstrate, act and fulfil that women can lead.
This body will ensure SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat) analysis is done in the light of stock taking, current realities and future projective of the Ijaw women struggle so that we will defend, preserve that which will continously improve us as Ijaw Women as well as promote our language (s), Culture, Rights, Interests, Welfare, Economic, Democracy, Traditional Institutions, Community Services etc.
Also, Ijaw Women from all walks of life and youths participation in Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), shall be given upgraded impetus.
Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), is well structured. After the formal inauguration of the Organisation by the Apex Umbrella Ijaw Organisation Ijaw, National Congress (INC), in November 2014 at Ijaw House. Yenagoa. Bayelsa State. The National body has been able to also inaugurate the three Zones, with all zonal executive positioned and running in their various capacities. The central zone was inaugurated by the President of IWC, Rosemary Graham Naingba in December 2014, with the headquarters in Yenagoa.
The Eastern Zone was also inaugurated by the President in January, 2015. With headquarters in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State. It was well witnessed by elders and chiefs from the Eastern Zone. The National Speaker Comrade (Mrs) Vivian Elenwo played a major role to host a very large crowd.
The Western Zone inauguration took place at the Western Zone headquarters Warri Delta State on the 18th February, 2015, by the National Executive Council (NEC) of IWC led by the President Comrade. Rosemary Graham Naingba, the Vice President Comrade (Mrs) Eugenia Cynthia Obongha. The National Secretary Comrade. (Mrs) Ebisidor Nabena Bribebe and lots of other respected dignitaries and Patron Western Zone Comrade Shedrack Agidega in attendance.
To encourage bonding and bringing Ijaw women outside the zonal organs together, and in line with the constitutional provisions, the President moved to establish a chapter in Abuja considering the high population of Ijaws leaving in the Federal Capital Territory. After series of meetings and consultations, IWC finally inaugurated her Abuja Chapter on 28th February, 2015, at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. The President Rosemary Graham Naingba, administered the Oath of office and Allegiance to the Chapter Pioneer Executive Committee.
Preparations are on top gear to inaugurate a chapter in Lagos which is slated to take place on Saturday 25th July, 2015.
IWC is prepared to eradicate illiteracy amongst Ijaw women. In this regard, about 15 young women cut across the Ijaw communities were awarded scholarship by IWC in March 2015.
Long Live The Federal Republic Of Nigeria
Long Live The Ijaw Nation
Long Live The Ijaw Women Connect (IWC).