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THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AVIANWU LAND BEING AN ADDRESS BY CHIEF (MRS) VERONICA AYIILEGAR (JP) ON THE OCCASION OF AVHIANWU SONS AND DAUGHTERS CONFERENCE, 6th APRIL 2015 Key points Biblical mention of women and their role from the history of creation and the women in Israel World renowned women Nigerian women activists Formation of NCWS – pioneers of women leadership roles Their place today – ministers, governance, business, entrepreneurship Policies on women and status – Ed, (violence) law and justice, agriculture, women and poverty, economic activities, development projects etc. Women in Avianwu land – hindrances Partnering with women if they must succeed in their roles – consultative approach, thematic areas, programme areas, women and girls in Avianwu community development projects, infrastructural projects, health, micro-credit facilities, Education and training, agriculture, research etc. Conclusion Expectation of number of cultural changes, hall of fame, cultural revival, change of attitude of men towards women, inheritance – wife, property, etc., data bank of our women achievers, inclusion of women in council of chiefs as source of dissemination of information etc.   THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AVHIANWU LAND BEING AN ADDRESS BY CHIEF (MRS) VERONICA AYIILEGAR (JP) ON THE OCCASION OF AVHIANWU SONS AND DAUGHTERS CONFERENCE, 6th APRIL 2015 The new America Bible states from Genesis 1-2 the importance of a woman when God created the first Father on earth – Adam and from him, our mother. Eve as a help mate. Similarly, we read from the same bible, the roles played by the women like Deborah, Esther, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Christ. They played their roles as military leaders, consolers, religious leaders, peace makers, political and social roles to assist in the development of their various communities in Israel. The history of some international women activists and leaders cannot be left out such as Mrs. Indira Ghandi of India, Mrs. Margaret Thatcher of United Kingdom, Mrs. Hillary Clinton and others not mentioned here. In Nigerian history, women leaders like Mrs. Fumilayo Ransom kuti of Abeokuta, Madam Tinubu of Lagos State, Queen Amina of Zaria, and Mrs. Margaret Ekpo of Calabar distinguished themselves in the various roles they played in the development of our country, Nigeria. In recent times, women like the late Pharmacist Dora Akunyuli, Lady (Mrs.) Virginia Etieba, Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Iweala, Dr Obby Ezekwesili, Mrs. Deziani Allison Madueke etc. have displayed before the world that “sex has no brain”. According to Mrs. Adetokunbo Ademola, the first leader of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), Nigeria, she remarked that “What a man can do, a woman can also do it”. This body, NCWS, Nigeria, is the most powerful Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) which linked all the regions then, with the aim of bridging the gap between women, irrespective of creed, tribe and class. It is a voice for the women and a platform for dissemination of information on women opinions and a liaison between the women and government. The subsequent leadership ran thus Lady Mrs. Adetokunbo Ademola 1958-64 Dr Mrs. Abimbola Awoniyi 1964-71 Mrs. Kofo Pratt-1971-76 Mrs. R.Doherty-1976-80 Mrs. C.I.Nzeako-1980-84 Mrs. Helen Adefarasin-1984-86 Chief Mrs. Emily lmokhuede-1986-88 Hajia Laila Dongoyaro-1988-90 Dr Mrs. Elizabeth Nwokeafor-1990-2005   Hajia Usman-2005-2009 Chief Mrs. Nkechi Uba 2009 – date In the then Bendel State, now Edo State, we had women like Chief Mrs. Christy Boyo the first women leader 1958 Mrs. Deaconess Grace Osagie Chief Mrs. Agatha Ehiemua Dr Mrs.: P.E.B Uku Chief Mrs. Marcelina Aisebeogun Chief Mrs. Veronica Ayi llegar JP 2002-2008 and Mrs. Grace Omoluru presently. In our Local Government Chapter, the first president. Chief Mrs. V.A. llegar JP followed by Mrs. Scholastica Imodemhe and presently we have Mrs. Queen Braimah. NCWS has representatives both at the Federal, States and Local Governments levels with the various women groups in affiliation with the body. Each nation like Nigeria is in affiliate of the International Headquarters at the Hague. The wife of the former president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Mrs. Marian Babangida played a major role in the lives of the Nigerian women at both international, national and grassroots levels through her popular project tagged “Better Life for Rural Women”. Today, women ethics in the care for their homes, family lives, dressing codes and businesses have transformed to the glory of all Nigerians. Women formed social groups and committees of women in development. Law. Medicine, Banking, Administration etc. From then, the drive for women in politics, poverty alleviation programmes, and others were embedded in the national policy on women which led to the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Youth Development. Despite these achievements, there are problems facing the women in the full participation at national and grassroots development irrespective of age, class, ethnicity or geographical difference. Prevalent in Nigeria and other cultures, violence can be classified as emotional and psychological abuse. Most women suffer sexual harassment and assault in bride price, domestic violence, rape, widowhood rites, human trafficking, forced prostitution, female genital mutilation, child marriage, denial of quality education, wife battering, wife inheritance, murder, violence from law makers, exclusion from property inheritance, discriminatory employment etc. Avhianwu land is not different from the other communities on the globe, hence, it is necessary to have the knowledge as stated in this piece to know the way forward to women’s roles in our land. The problem of Africa today is that women, the key producers, are bypassed by development. Walter Rodney stated that the development at the Individual level implies increased skills and capacity, greater freedom, creativity, self-discipline, responsible and material wellbeing. At the level of the society, it Implies, cultural advancement, eliminating poverty, violence, illiteracy and hunger. The main objective aims at an improved standard of living through increased income and employment opportunities. Going by this definition, it is evident that despite the several decades of developmental efforts in Nigeria and Africa, no significant benefit has come to the region. The reason is not far-fetched: women who meet the survival needs of

THE FUTURE WE WANT: LEVERAGING AVHIANWU CULTURE FOR SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN A CHANGING WORLD Chris Osiomha Itsede, PhD, MNIM BEING TEXT OF A KEYNOTE ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE AVHIANWU SUMMIT HELD AT OGBONA ETSAKO CENTRAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT, APRIL 6, 2015 TABLE OF CONTENT Introduction Culture in Traditional Avhianwu Society Exposure to External Cultures Coping with a Changing World an Agenda for Cultural Reforms Conclusion 1 INTRODUCTION The objective of this paper is to examine the nexus between Avhianwu culture and the social and economic development of the society. Over the past decade or so, development indicators and data on the cultural sector have cast into bold relief the evidence that culture can be a powerful driver for sustainable development with community-wide social, economic and environmental ramifications. In Nigeria, the entertainment industry has grown exponentially in recent times that it is now a significant sector in the nation’s new GDP classification structure. At the global level, lessons learned from the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) demonstrated concretely the power of culture to respond to such challenging issues as gender, health, education and environment. What is more, the cultural sector has a high capacity for employment creation across the whole spectrum of the skills mix in the economy – absorbing thousands of unskilled, semi-skilled and highly skilled workers in direct and indirect employment. What is Culture? According to Gold bard (2004), culture is the sum total of human ingenuity: language, signs and symbols, systems of beliefs, customs, dance, arts, clothes, foods and cuisine, tools, toys, trinkets, the built environment and everything we use to fill it up. Like most concepts in the social sciences, culture has evaded a universally accepted common definition. Some see it as the sum of the beliefs, knowledge, skills, customs, festivals and ceremonies, fashion, and traditions that are available to the members of a particular society. For the purpose of our discussion today, we define culture as a way of life of a people, that is to say, the behaviors, knowledge, beliefs, values, customs, art, music, symbols that they accept, generally without thinking twice about them and that are transmitted from one generation to the next. In other words, culture is the collective programming of the mind that sets one group or category of people apart from another. Culture is a people’s group identity. Every culture is characterized by eight basic elements: Language; Daily Life, Economy; Religion; History; Arts; Social Groups; and Government. Every culture would include core values and beliefs, such as trust, honesty, integrity, respect for others, individualism, communal orientation, patience, determination and family devotion. Although this is not an academic gathering, I will preface our discussion this morning with a rapid overview of the recent debate on culture whose importance has become so compelling such that the United Nations General Assembly recently passed a special resolution urging members to mainstream culture into their development policies and strategic calculus. The UN further underscored culture’s intrinsic contribution to sustainable development. The Cultural Debate As culture is dynamic and changes, albeit slowly, overtime, so has the notion and its place in the society’s scheme of things evolved over the years. Sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists, and economic development experts all agree that culture has a significant impact on the developmental trajectory of different societies. Adam Smith, arguably the founder of modern economics, argues in his 1776 seminal book, “The Wealth of Nations” that man is essentially motivated by the pursuit of his own interests, and contributes to the public interest in a system that is self-regulating. Smith nonetheless recognized that the “pursuit of personal interests’1 involved much more than just making money. Hence, his later work, “Theory of Moral Sentiments”, deals with what today we would call cultural values. Seventy years later, John Stuart Mill made the same point when he noted that cultural constraints on individuals could have a stronger impact on them than the pursuit of personal pecuniary interest. Max Weber, the German social scientist, writing in the early 20th century, outlined how cultural factors, including religious values, could drive economic output. Weber contended that the Protestant work ethic, spurred by Reformation teachings that the pursuit of wealth was a duty, inculcated the virtues needed for maximum economic productivity. Thus, European Protestants were more productive than Catholics. He drew parallels between Germany and Great Britain, for instance, compared to the Catholic nations of Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy. Today, development experts have no illusion about the significant contribution of culture to developmental outcomes. The Importance of Culture What is it that makes some countries to do very well, while others fail to make the mark even when they all have comparable requisite economic factors in place? Why have countries like Nigeria, Indonesia and the Philippines, despite their relatively robust resource endowment and a well-educated population, lagged in development? The theory lists preconditions for economic development: good governance, a stable political system; rule of law backed with effective enforcement to ensure sanctity of contractual agreements; an enabling environment for domestic and foreign investors; an efficient and non-corrupt the public service. Quite a robust list, but it still does not add up. What is the role of culture in the development process? Why do some ethnic groups that are even minorities in other cultures do so well in business that they leave others in the dust? Amy Chua raises this question in her book “World on Fire”. She tells us that ethnic Chinese in the Philippines, accounting for less than two percent of the population, yet they control 60% of the nation’s private economy. This includes the country’s four major airlines and almost all the banks, hotels and shopping malls. Chinese ethnic minorities also dominate business in other Southeast Asian countries, especially Indonesia, Thailand, Burma and Malaysia. Chua observes that all over the world, examples abound of what she calls “dominant minorities”-ethnic groups that have demonstrated a remarkable ability to succeed in business wherever they may live. In Russia, six of the seven billionaires that

COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY AVHIANWU PEOPLE ON THEIR FIRST SUMMIT HELD ON 19TH DAY OF APRIL, 2014, AT YERIMAH HOTEL, FUGAR WITH THE THEME: UNITY,PEACE AND PROGRESS IN AVHIANWU LAND (UPPA) The first Avhianwu summit under the auspices of Ogieavhianwu – in- C0uncil took place on 19th April, 2014 at Yerimah Hotel, Fugar unde the distinguished Chairmanship of Chief (Sir) James S. Imhoede with eight resource persons delivering papers on diverse fields and disciplines: The maiden summit was attended by sons and daughters of Avhianwu drawn from all walks of life with representations from traditional Institutions, Associations, Clubs, Towns Unions and Quarters. 1.An interim management committee headed by Chief (Sir) J.S. Imhoede with the eight resource persons as members was constituted to recommend measures that would put Avhianwu on a path of irreversible progress and development, and to ensure the sustenance of the ideals of the summit. 2.As a corollary, the summit shall be held on yearly basis with the interim Management Committee saddled with the responsibility of soliciting for funds from Avianwu sons and daughters and other legitimate sources. 3.The summit shall provide a veritable platform for cross­ fertilization of ideas among Avhianwu people for the progress, development and unity of the clan; 4.Recognizing the place of culture in the developmental process, the need to preserve and protect our identity and cultural heritage, the summit mandated the interim Management Committee to recommend measures and steps to adopt in order to revive and strengthen our culture and customs bearing in mind the dynamics of the modern society. 5.The summit commended the Council of Chiefs led by the Ogieavianwu-designate, Chief Jackson Etokhana, the current Okphe-Ukpi ofIraokhor for their bold initiative and foresight in putting together the August Summit and prayed for peaceful and fruitful reign in their respective traditional villages. 6.In total recognition of the fact that development and progress can only thrive in an environment devoid of rancour and mutual recriminations, the summit enjoined the Og1eavianwu­ in-Council to, as a matter of utmost urgency, take steps to resolve the lingering disputes in the Clan. 7.ln furtherance of the resolve to revive and modernize our raditional practices, where appropriate, the summit mandated the interim Management Committee to work out modalities that will give our traditional mode of dressing a pride of place m all our traditional ceremonies. The summit equally mandated the Committee to consider the possibility of holding Esi Festival on the same day throughout the Clan. 8.The summit commended the organizing committee led by Okhaemhor Akpaibor for the wonderful job and patriotic zeal which made the summit a huge success. 9.The summit noted with satisfaction, the pledge by some of our illustrious sons and daughters present including, Hon. Emmanuel Momoh, Chairman, Etsako Central Local Government and Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, former Chief of Staff to President Goodluck Jonathan to support subsequent summits financially and morally. 10.The summit was declared closed by a common resolve by participants to promote and defend collectively the unity and cultural heritage of Avhianwu people. Barr. James A.K. Akhigbe Interim Secretary Avh/Or wu Management Committee Chief {Sir) J.S. Imhoede Interim Chairman Avh 1anwu Managemenr Commmee