The Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty, Prof. Epiphany Chigbogu Azinge, SAN, OON, has tasked Asaba women and wives married to Asaba indigenes to cultivate financial independence, self-reliance and exemplary public conduct, declaring that “the pride of an Asaba woman is her ability to stand alone in tough times.”
The monarch gave the charge while receiving a delegation of wives of Otu-Nwatawelinkeà Age Grade at his palace.
Drawing from the painful lessons of the 1967 Asaba Massacre, where over 1,000 men were killed, HRM Azinge recounted how widows single-handedly raised children who today occupy prominent positions in society.
“It was the women who held the homes together and trained future leaders,” he said.
The revered monarch, who recently elevated wives of Olinzele Ahaba to Palace Chiefs, reaffirmed his commitment to greater inclusion of women in the kingdom’s affairs, noting their immense potential and ideas.
However, he decried the poor decorum often displayed by some women during public functions, particularly in food and drink sharing.
HRM Azinge urged the women to support their husbands—who in six months will assume critical leadership roles in the traditional institution—by providing peace at home and resisting pressures that could derail their husbands’ responsibilities.
He promised regular town hall meetings and women-focused retreats to harness their capacities, while charging them to instill discipline in their children and warn against drug abuse and cultism.
The Asagba of Asaba commended Mrs Promise Okediachi for mentoring her son, Master Okediachi, to academic excellence, and praised the group’s unity initiative and donations to the Permanent Palace project.
In response, Mrs Okediachi thanked the monarch for his transformative leadership, assuring continued loyalty and support for the throne and Asaba’s development.
