With tears and a broken heart the Board of Trustees, Advisers and all members of Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo mourn the death of Dr Chike Akunyili who was murderd in Ala Igbo, his home state Anambra state a few days ago. Ife ukwu melu best defines the situation we find ourselves as daughters, wives, girlfriends, partners, mothers, Aunties, grandmothers and all the things we mean to others in our families and communities.
We mourn not just Dr Chike Akunyili but the hundreds, the thousands, the millions that are killed daily around the world but especially in Nigeria, in Ala Igbo. We as women are the major victims of insecurity. We have been crying out but it seems our men and some women are too deaf to our wails.
For this year’s International women’s day, we made a video calling on all leaders to address urgently the insecurities in the land. We cried to our governors, our legislators, our children but obviously we were ignored. Today, we mourn Dr Chike, a man whose life was a sacrifice. He saved people from bleeding, he bled to death from the hands of children with mothers and fathers. But many died before him, with him, many are still dying and might still die if nothing is done to stem the tide of spilling the blood of our people.
We commiserate with the Akunyili family, we remember our fellow Inyom late Dora Akunyili and the brilliance, beauty and commitment she brought to womanhood and how the world rewarded her with eternal applause. But we must act now to prevent more bloodshed. We as women are distraught and the pain in our hearts is unquantifiable. We are the ones who shed blood to bring forth lives even the lives of the leaders, the led and those who live by the sword.
We plead with our leaders nationally and na ala Igbo to stand up and defend the people not through arms but by all peaceful means. Nkata in Igbo means conversation and we as Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo believe that dialogue is the best way forward. Mmadu adi egbu onye o ga eli. We are heartbroken due to the injustice, the negligence, that beget the violence. We do not want finger-pointing, we want peace to reign. We want as daughters, sisters and mothers to be spared the agony of being orphaned, raped, left widows or having to bury our own children. We had done enough burials between 1967 – 1970. We have done enough till today as we write.
We demand action from all of us, this is not about patriarchy, this is about our very lives. Ndi Igbo, tetenu nula!
We commiserate with the children, the family and communities of the Akunyilis and all those who have been killed in this senseless orgy of murders, arson and wanton recklessness.
Bikonu, ka anyi kpakane nkata…Izu ka mma na nne ji. Daalunu.
Anyi bu Umunne unu nwanyi, Ndi nne unu, ndi ada unu, ndi nwunye unu, ndi ocho udo obodo. Umu nwanyi cholu udo. Anyi cholu udo. We are tired of mourning and gnashing our teeth.
Nkata Ndi Iyom Igbo.
Iyom Josephine Anenih (mni)
Onye Isi Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo (NNII
