The wife of the Governor of Enugu State, Nkechiyere Mbah, has lauded women for the unique role they play in both family and nation building.

Mrs Mbah made the commendation at the 2023 women convention/monthly prayer held at Okpara Square, Enugu on Sunday to formally close this year’s August Meeting.

The convention, which attracted a large turnout of women across the 17 local government areas, had as its theme, “Cervical Cancer: prevention, diagnosis and treatment”.

In a speech, the governor’s wife commended the resilience, unity and spirit of creativity the women in the state put up throughout the period of the convention.

She said that she was impressed with the proper organisation of the meeting as well as the impressive level of attendance.

She thanked her predecessor, Monica Ugwuanyi, and the commissioner for children, gender affairs and social development, Ngozi Enih, for their efforts to sustain the gathering.

Mrs Mbah further expressed appreciation for the support the women prayer group had been giving to the administration.

She promised that her office would continue to play its role to ensure that priority was given to the welfare of women in the state.

Earlier, Ms Enih extolled women for their “strength, resilience and boundless potential in family and nation-building, especially in our great Enugu State”.

She further said that the convention had brought together women from diverse backgrounds and experiences to “empower, inspire and unite”.

She thanked the governor’s wife for gracing the occasion, adding that the convention had immensely benefitted from the free pap smear testing for screening of cervical cancer provided by her office for the women.

Also, the executive secretary of Enugu State primary healthcare development agency,Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku, warned that cervical cancer is a deadly disease sending women to early grave, if no preventive measures were taken.

She urged women and their girl children to take the vaccination for the human papillomavirus in order to prevent cervical cancer, describing the vaccine as safe, effective and free.

Delivering a lecture on nutrition as a primary need for every child, a pediatric consultant at the parklane, Okey Ogbodo, urged pregnant women to pay special attention to antenatal treatment so as to ensure safe delivery.

Mr Ogbodo also said that the ideal recommendation for every nursing mother is to breastfeed their children from age zero to 6 months without supplement.

He further said that breasts, which were primarily created for feeding children, contain all the nutrients a child needs to grow and form an active functional brain.

A gynaecologist and obstetrician, Chizoba Onyema, who spoke on cervical and breast cancers, urged women to pay attention to any unusual growth around the breasts’ region.

Mr Onyema also said that frequent medical check-ups would help to detect early cancer that could be treated.

According to him, symptoms of breast cancer in women include a lump in the breast, bloody discharge from the nipple and changes in the shape or texture of the nipple or breast, which should be quickly reported to a doctor for early treatment.

A lecturer at the Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu, Chidimma Okafor, spoke on the significance of skill acquisition by women, irrespective of their engagement as it could help them to support the economic base of their families.

A coordinator of the state prayer support group, Favour Ugwuanyi, called for support and prayers for Gov. Peter Mbah to succeed in his efforts to transform the state and restore its lost glory.

Highlights of the convention included a cooking competition by the local government areas, preparing different local delicacies.

 (NAN)