President, Wives of the Heads of the five tertiary institutions in the state under the umbrella of Tertiary Institutions Women Association (TIWA), Barr. Mrs Nnenna Igbokwe Okogbule has described the Vice Chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Prof Okechukwu Onuchuku as an indefatigable, pragmatic, charismatic and a workaholic.
Okogbule stated this when TIWA members, comprising women from the Five Higher Tertiary Institutions in Rivers State, namely, Rivers State University; Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE); Kenule Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic; Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic; and the Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology paid him a courtesy visit at the Council Chambers before embarking on their bi-monthly general meeting to discuss issues affecting members of the association as well as women and their children generally.
She stressed that the purpose for the bi-monthly general rotational meeting is to synergise, boost the morale of their members in these five institutions in the state as well exchange ideas, proffer ways to empower each other as well as humanity in general.
According to her: “Nobody is a reportorial of knowledge as such we learn from each other in other to move forward in life. At the institution levels and as women, we also try as much as possible to give our husbands whom God have given them the opportunities to head these five tertiary institutions the needed support so that they are able to perform optimally as expected ”.
She explained that their focus also geared towards students of these various institutions,  who have left their homes at their tender ages, adding that these students need motherly care and attention.
Barr. Okogbule stressed that while putting the welfare of their members as one of the priorities, also emphasised that the students were not left out as there were lots of negative social vices on the increase by the day in the tertiary institutions, maintained that their constant prayers towards and with these students God will never allowed them to be found wanting.
“As mothers and with God on our side, giving directions to our younger generation makes great impact on them. As TIWA members, your welfare is our priority.
“We give quality training to the girls and boys without any bias nor segregation.
When you focused more on the girl child, the boy child that you poorly train will in turn become a menace for the girl child and society at large.
In his reactions, the Acting Vice Chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Prof Okechukwu Onuchukwu commended the efforts of the association for the roles they play in imparting meaningfully to lives of the students of the various institutions in the state.
Onuchuku noted that apart from the academic contributions members of TIWA were rendering, they also ensure that students of the various institutions are taught good morals, saying that without morals and proper guidance the children will go haywire due to what they learn from the internet and peer groups.
He commended them for what they were doing, while charging them to make efforts to attend conferences internationally and not limited to only the local trainings.
speaking shortly after the meeting, the host and wife of the Acting Vice Chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru Unverisity of Edcation, Mrs Chika Okey Onunchkwu. expressed happiness for hosting members of TIWA at the institutions.
Mrs Okey Onuchuku charged lukewarm members of the association to come out of their cocoons and join them in moving the association to greater and an enviable heights in the state and country at large.

By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana