By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
Disturbed by the festering level of insecurity in the country, a group, Nigeria Women Elders’ Council, (NWEC), has given President Muhammadu Buhari two months ultimatum to convene a national conference to address the security challenges.
The NWEC, at a press conference yesterday in Abuja threatened to lead Nigerians in “a sit-at-home” protest if its demand was not met.
The council, which has Chief Felicia Sani, President of Market Women Association, as president, equally revealed that the women will embark on a two-week fasting and prayers to seek divine intervention and guidance.
In its address at the press conference read by Mrs. Chika Ibeleme, former Commissioner for Works, Anambra State, the council said the national conference “will afford Nigerians from all walks of life and the different sections of the country the opportunity to ventilate their grievances or express their views on the situation of the country”.
Continuing, she said, “The conference will also afford the government the opportunity to bring every section together towards a lasting solution to the myriads of problems confronting the situation.”
The council, which warned that Nigeria may implode sooner than later, decried a situation where security agencies seemed overwhelmed “such that foreigners take advantage of the situation to wreak havoc on the country.”
It noted that at no time have the nation’s fault lines been visible than now, adding, “All the geo-pilitical zones are engulfed in one crisis or the other with lives and property being threatened on a daily basis with insecurity at its peak.
According to the group, “Nigeria Women Elders’ Council is tired of watching precious Nigerian lives being wasted on a daily basis as Nigeria as a nation reaches a tipping point and our children are used as pawns in the hands of powers seekers,”
The council demanded that Buhari should address the nation and not through his surrogates.
A former Minister of Education, Prof. Chinwe Obaje, who is also a member of the council, was among those in attendance at the conference.
