Ikpeazu applauds passage of genotype testing law

Nkechi Ikpeazu, wife of the Governor of Abia State, has applauded Abia State House of Assembly for the speedy passage of the law that encourages genotype and blood group testing to help reduce cases of sickle cell disease in the state.

 

Ikpeazu stated this barely 24 hours before the State’s House of Assembly passed the law for the Identification of blood group and genotype.

 

Statistics have shown that one in every four Nigerian is a carrier of the S-gene which could transmute to the disease if two incompatible partners procreate.

 

She also led a large coalition of civil society organisations, NGOs, pressure groups, and prominent women to the State’s House of Assembly to canvass for speedy passage of bills that protect the rights of women and children in the state.

 

The bills, which had been stagnated for several years without any legislative action on them, include a bill for a law to prohibit all forms of violence, a bill for a law to abolish harmful and obnoxious widowhood practices and a bill designed to provide equal rights for men, women, and persons with special needs.

 

According to Ikpeazu, the Vicar Hope Foundation, and other members of the coalition such as the International Federation of Women Lawyers, church organisations, professional groups, women labour associations, widows association, and others have contributed immensely to the socio-economic development of women, children and other vulnerable persons in the state.

 

“A large percentage of women and children are experiencing physical, emotional, verbal, economic and sexual abuse in their homes and families” she said.

 

She highlighted some of the actions taken by her NGO have helped to improve the economic status and livelihood of women in the state.

 

“We have also empowered our women with information and knowledge that will result in awareness of their rights, how to personally ask for it and to protect it.

 

“This we have done by collaborating with ministries, other NGOs, women groups and the individual women here present, to organize annual training sessions, seminars, and workshops on rights of women and the girl child where we get resource persons to speak to the women about their legal and socio economic rights,” Ikpeazu said.

 

She noted that without adequate legal instrument to further guarantee the protection of the targeted group of persons in the state, there would be a limitation to the progress made thus far by the coalition. 

 

Receiving the delegation, the speaker Chikwendu Kalu and members of the house of assembly assured the wife of the governor that they will give attention to the requests of the coalition. They expressed pleasant surprise that the coalition came to express gratitude for the work done by the House, and assured that as representatives of the people, they will always hold the duties of making good laws sacrosanct.

 

Eunice Aguomba, former Judge of the state High Court, and Victoria Akanwa, a 2nd republic lawmaker, who added their voices to the call by the wife of the governor, emphasised the need to provide the right kind of society for women and the girl-child to thrive.

 

They said the bill will add a lot to efforts by several groups and individuals to ensure a better environment for hardworking, but abused Nigerians.