Ugochukwu Iwuchukwu
Environmental and Women Rights Group Kebetkache Women Development Centre has called for the provision of potable water for women and residents in rural communities in Rivers State and in the Niger Delta region.
The Executive Director of Kebetkache Women Development Centre, Emen Okon made this call during an event to mark International Women’s Day in Port Harcourt with the theme Women in Leadership achieving an Equal Future in a covid-19 World.
Emen Okon said women in the Niger Delta Region are facing serious challenges in accessing clean and potable water for their domestic needs.
She said that government, International and Charity Organizations, development agencies should devise a means to provide water to women in rural areas.
”Women access to clean water, this is a very serious implication for women and it is something the government should look into. Having access to water and in the Niger Delta where we are suffering from pollution, air pollution, water pollution, environmental degradation, this becomes a critical issue” she said.
The Executive Director of Kebetkache Women Development Centre, Emen Okon also called for a total reflection on how government programmes should affect women positively.
She noted that women were most affected by the Impact of Covid-19 due to the effects of lockdowns and the activities of different Task Force across the Niger Delta.
Emen Okon said that the Impact of Covid-19 has placed an additional financial burden on women.
The Women Right Activists also called for more inclusion of women in leadership positions.
She said that women are good leaders because of their in-born leadership qualities.
”Women are able to balance professional and personal leadership skills, women are great listeners, women focus on teamwork, they like helping others to succeed, women are good communicators, she said.
Emen Okon added that the world will be a better place when women are allowed to utilize their full potentials.
