Mrs Evelyn Nkechi Weke has been with the National Council of
Women Societies for over 20 years. She started as a member of the branch in
Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State where she was elected the
Secretary after three years and served for two tenures after which she
continued as a member until three years ago, when she was elected the first
Vice President. Last year, she became the President of the organisation In a
recent interview with Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi, she said NCWS is a service
organization rather than a political one, insisting that only focus on the
girl-child would rewrite the history of the Nigerian woman.

Mrs Weke, who has just presided over the National Council of
Women Societies for barely a year, may have made the declaration probably to correct
some erroneous impression about the organisation, as some members are already
considering it a platform to win political favours.

For Mrs Weke, service is more honourable and favours are
most appreciated when they come out of service, hence the need for members to
remain focused to the tenets of the organisation.

Recounting the association’s involvement in service to
humanity, she said “we have been collaborating
with the Ministry of Health, sensitising mothers on the need for
immunisation.

“We also had a programme to eradicate polio, we gave talk to
women, of course you know most of our members are from the grassroots and then
when the issue of pentavalent vaccine came up, Rivers State hosted the federal
Ministry of Health, the members of the Rivers State NCWS were on hand to
communicate to the women what the vaccine was all about.

“Not long ago we were in Abua/Odual Local Government Area
where we had a workshop on the prevention of maternal death from unwanted
pregnancy.

“We invited a lot of youths, male and female, it was a very
successful project”.

In a meeting of  the
executive members of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) Tuesday,
with representatives from across the 23 local government areas in Rivers
States, the president announced plan to organise a workshop barely a month from
now.

The workshop which has its theme as the girl-child and her
societal challenges is considered a contribution of the National Council of
Women Societies towards recharting the course of the Nigerian woman.

“Right now, we are about holding another workshop in the
state, to sensitise the girl-child on the need for her education because when a
girl-child is enlightened a nation is educated. We will also focus on cultural
values as well as the stigmatisation on women, especially on areas where women
are supposed to be seen and not be heard,” she said.

Explaining further, Mrs Weke said “ the workshop will be
coming up towards the end of September or early October. We need to sensitise
our women on issues relating to pregnancies and unwanted pregnancies, abortion,
the girl-child education, and then our culture; not excluding taboos on women.

“A culture that allows a woman to take a sick child to
hospital but cannot take decision on the child in the case of a need for
surgery instead she has to wait until her husband comes to give his consent
simply because she is a woman, must not be sustained.

“Hence our women needs to be sensitised to know and rise up
to their responsibilities in the absence of their spouses. When it comes to
health matters, life must be saved first, irrespective of who facilitates it”.

Backing up her resolve for greater service in her tenure,
Mrs Weke recaps the objectives of the body as follows:

“One of our objectives bothers on youths and children. When
you educate them, you enlighten the nation because they are our future leaders.
That is why we concentrate on the youths, teaching them what good, life holds
in stock for them if only they could maintain good reputation.

“Secondly, members of NCWS are foot soldiers. By that I
mean, when it comes to communicating with women, NCWS is one NGO that has the
educated and non-educated women as members. With the educated in our midst, we
are able to go to the rural areas and talk to them in the markets, farms even
at meeting grounds on issues that border on women generally”.

About championing the course of women in the society she
answered. “Oh yes! You know that National Council of Women Societies is the
umbrella body of all the women organisations, it is the mother body. So, every
other organisation, be it medical women, FIDA, NAWOJ or pharmaceutical women
group, they all are parts and parcel of NCWS whatever gender issue they
champion, NCWS is involved.

Despite her role in NCWS, Mrs Evelyn Nkechi Weke is a career
nurse, the Assistant Director of Nursing Services in the University of Port
Harcourt Teaching Hospital UPTH. How does she execute these duties in addition
to her natural role as a wife and mother? She reacts.

“Well you should know that when you are an NCWS member, you
want to save lives. As a nurse too, you know it is about service and as a
mother and a grand mother that I am, it is also about services. But the fact
remains that if you plan yourself, most times there wouldn’t be any conflict.
Besides, I have an understanding husband and children that also understand.

They know those things that I do, they believe in me, we
interact on daily basis.

In my job, I am not found wanting because there is harmony
in my home.

However, marriage is basically about trust.

If you trust each other, there wouldn’t be any reason for
any suspecting the other or not believing in the other.

“My job takes me out for workshops, meetings, outside the
state; I spend 4 days, 5 days as the case may be. Thank God for Mobile Phones,
we keep in touch. If there is harmony, peace, and trust among spouses and
children, then you can be sure of a stable marriage relationship.

For me I have been married for over 30 years I don’t have
any problem with my family. My husband believes in me and I believe in him.
whatever are issues on daily basis, by the end of the day when I get home, we
review them together.

For women who fold arms and wait for men to supply all their
needs, hear her:

“Well, it is obvious that there is global depression, and
women must not sit and wait for their husbands to bring all they need because
if you need a hundred thousand naira, and the man brings sixty thousand naira,
if you are working, you should be able to bring forty thousand naira and that
helps for the smooth running of the home.

But if the man could get the sixty thousand naira and still
go ahead to source for the forty thousand naira,, then there is bound to be
disharmony in the home because you can hardly be appreciated and because you
are always demanding, ofcourse not always getting it at the expected time, you
will hardly be appreciative of the man’s effort and the juice in marriage can
hardly ever be harnessed in your home.

For a gender and equal opportunity bill, Evelyn has this to
say, “In African society I must tell you the truth, it is difficult to have
that bill passed. But, we will keep struggling; keep talking about it, so that
women can have a place and voice in the society. In a place where you have over
20 men in positions of authority with an inclusion of 2 or 3 women, I don’t
think its right. “Even the 35% affirmative action that is being talked about,
if it becomes a reality, good! we can start from there. All the same, it can’t
be a matter of force, I think it is a gradual process, with mutual
understanding, talking to the men and asking for their consent so that we can
work together.

Evaluating the Nigerian women in terms of their relevance to
governance, the NCWS Presido would say that the Nigerian Women have come a long
way.  According to her, those days it was
an all men’s affairs. Now, looking at the ministerial appointments, all the
women there are making us proud. Look at the Finance, Education Ministers and
others, they are all doing well and we are proud of them. Back here in the state,
I don’t see them lacking in their duties and all these boil down to the
girl-child education which is what we are talking about.