A social activist, Dr Margaret Okon, has urged Nigerian women to join the vanguard of fighting corruption, ritual killings, and human trafficking among other social vices.
Okon, made the call at a seminar organised by the women of the Church of Christ in Abuja on Tuesday with the theme: ”A Christian Woman: An Ornament of Christ’’.
Okon blamed women for the current economic recession, saying that most of them had supported their spouses to cut corners including looting and embezzlement of public funds for personal aggrandizement.
According to her, women have a major role to play in curbing the social vices in the society including corrupt practices that have dire consequences on the nation’s economy.
The consultant noted in her paper entitled: “The Christian woman: A vessel of salvation” that Nigeria’s salvation from economic woes will be imminent if mothers inculcate the right values of honesty, integrity and hard work in their wards.
Okon, who is a Consultant Paediatrician at Framag Specialist Hospital, Lagos, held the view that all hands must be on deck to check corruption with its multiplying effects on the country
She expressed regret that “evil is multiplying every day, ritual killings, human trafficking are the order of the day, overnight millionaires, broad-day murder of innocent people including children and nobody is asking questions’’.
The consultant appealed to the government to ensure the full participation of women in its anti-corruption fight and other social vices.
“It is our responsibility as women to speak out and stand for justice and equity, correct our men to see reasons why they should live and be contented with what they have.
“We need to save the future of our children, the church and our great nation.
“Godliness and contentment is a great gain and if you have the fear of God you will be able to use the little one you have effectively and bring up the children in the fear of God.
“Most men that embezzled money are either doing that to impress their wives, children, girl friends or concubines.
“I believe if women in Nigeria should stand up and determine to wipe out corruption, to say no to corruption, no to ritual killings, no to injustice because they are the ones that can do it effectively and with God on our side we will conquer.
“This is because if the man discovers that his wife is not in support of his stealing, always striking and saying no to corruption the man will definitely change his attitude,’’ she said.
According to her, women are the brain behind human trafficking, prostitution among others all in their quest to make quick money and indulge in worldly pleasure.
Okon emphasised that behind every successful man there is woman and behind every corrupt man there is woman, saying it is women that push their husbands to indulge in stealing and corruption to impress them.
The consultant, who identified man as the head while the woman is the neck, noted that the neck controls the head.
According to her, whatever becomes of man is determined by the woman.
She advised women to desist from aiding them to siphon public funds to build houses in Dubai and London among others at the detriment of the masses.
Okon maintained that with the fear of God women should advise their powerful husbands to help the poor and the needy.
She urged women to ask their husbands vital questions about the sources of their huge sum of money around the home or the farm tanks or even toilets.
“If the women can stand up and condemn evil, discourage their husbands from looting, embezzling money I believe the men too will check themselves.
“By the time our husbands bring home unexplained money you as a woman should be able to ask him, find out how he came about it.
“But what is happening now, it is the women that will even help the men to hide the illegal wealth and even give them idea on how to loot.
Okon noted that prostitution and human trafficking are common with the women, saying that there is always a woman or women behind any case of trafficking in the country.
She explained that some unscrupulous women entice innocent children from villages to cities with the sole aim of forcing them into prostitution among others.
Okon called on women stand up as positive change agents “because we have roles to play in curbing social vices in the society”. (NAN)