As women’s August meetings take off across communities in Anambra State, the wife of the State Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) Nonye Soludo, has harped on the need for women to utilize the fora to engage in meaningful discussions aimed at finding solutions to the pressing issues affecting families and society.
Across parts of the state, The News Chronicle can confirm that August meetings have commenced, an annual exercise that brings women of Igbo extraction home to deliberate on issues affecting the society.
However, the programme, in some climes, had been turned to an avenue to show off class and engage in unhealthy competition, while numerous social events have been scheduled to take place during the break.
Speaking on the development in a statement released in Awka on Tuesday, Mrs. Soludo expressed concern over the continued erosion of core family values, increasing incidents of drug abuse among schoolchildren, parental neglect, and the growing obsession with illicit wealth among young people.
She noted that these are critical challenges that mothers must urgently address through platforms like the August Meeting.
According to her, the August Meeting should go beyond its traditional social functions and evolve into a proactive forum for identifying and tackling specific moral, social, and economic challenges within communities.
“It is imperative that we begin to use this platform to spotlight and address the moral deficits in child upbringing, the decline in family values, the prevalence of drug abuse among our children, and the troubling pursuit of quick wealth by our youths,” Mrs. Soludo stated.
She also stressed the need to reposition August Meetings as vehicles for promoting religious harmony, communal peace, and ideological reforms.
These gatherings, she added, should encourage women to be catalysts for positive change, not just in their homes, but across society.
Mrs. Soludo further highlighted the importance of using the forum to drive social development and economic empowerment among women.
She called on participants to explore practical ways of supporting members facing challenges with faith, livelihood, or personal growth, while also dedicating time to spiritual renewal and communal healing.
The governor’s wife also advocated for increased awareness around proper family planning, warning that unplanned parenthood often leads to systemic problems that affect the wider society.
As she extended her best wishes to all Anambra women participating in this year’s August Meeting, Mrs. Soludo urged them to remain prayerful and to remember both the state and the nation in their prayers.
