NGWF Declares War Against Drug Abuse & Child Marriage

The Northern Governors’ Wives Forum is a non-governmental organisation whose membership consists of mainly wives of the governors of the 19 northern states of Nigeria. The Forum usually has periodic meetings which are hosted by members in rotational manner. The recent meeting which held on the 1^st November, 2016 was hosted by the Wife of Benue State Governor, Her Excellency, Mrs Eunice Samuel Ortom, at the Benue State Governor’s Lodge at Asokoro, Abuja.

During the meeting, the wives of the governors discussed some peculiar issues that affect The North. Among the issues discussed were drug abuse among youths, and early marriage in the northern part of the country.  Professionals on different related fields were invited to present papers on those issues. In their well-researched presentations, they identified the factors directly impacting negatively on the society and suggested some ways forward. After the presentations, the members of the forum had a closed door meeting where they re-tabled the issues, discussed them and proffered possible solutions that will enable them achieve their aims and objectives, and reach their goals. At the end of the closed door meeting, the forum came out with a communiqué listing conclusions reached towards finding lasting solution to the problem of drug abuse among youths and children, and issues of early marriage of the girl-child, which hampers education of female children in the northern part of the country, and endangers their health. Thereafter, the Northern Governors’ Wives Forum paid a courtesy visit to the Wife of the President, Her Excellency, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, to seek her support in addressing rape cases, early or forced marriage, so as to find a lasting solution for the betterment of the North and the country as a whole. The Forum believes that commitment and communication are vital instruments in human development.