The wife of Ekiti Governor, Mrs Bisi Fayemi, has on Tuesday in Ado Ekiti called for unity among all Nigerian ethnic groups, saying people should see themselves first as Nigerians.
The Ekiti First Lady gave the advice when she was conferred with the title of Nne Gburugburu (Mother-General) by the Women’s Wing of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo, Ado-Ekiti, in recognition of her outstanding work in the area of women development.
She said Nigerians must first identify themselves as “Nigerians“ before their ethnic groups.
The National Daily reports that a plaque was presented to Fayemi by the Igbo group and she thanked them in return for recognising her works promised to continue to support the group and other Igbo groups in Ekiti.
“I will always have a special relationship with the Igbo community and it started when I served in a part of the then Imo (now in Abia) as a youth corps member. l didn’t know Yoruba, Hausa or Igbo, all I knew was I’m a Nigerian,” she stressed.
The Chairperson of the Ohanaeze Women’s Wing, Lady Patricia Ndubuisi, explained that the title conferred on the Ekiti First Lady was in recognition of her women empowerment projects, especially the fight against female genital mutilation and her “Keep Girls In School“ programme.
She solicited Fayemi’s support for the group’s development projects, especially the establishment of a skill acquisition centre for women and girls.
`We believe in your motherly role as we crown you ‘Mother General’ of Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo Women’s Wing on account of your surpassing charitable contributions towards the development of humanity, especially in Ekiti ”, Ndubuisi said.
The delegation, which was led by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Igbo Matters, Chief Nnamdi Iwuchukwu, also had in attendance the Senior Special Assistant (Political) to the First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Ajayi.