Mothers in Alor Community, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, have been urged to take greater responsibility for the moral upbringing of their children and ensure they grow up with discipline, respect and the fear of God.
The call was made during the 2026 Alor Women August Meeting by the newly inaugurated Women President-General of the community, Lady Ifeoma Uzokwe, and other stakeholders, who advocated a return to the traditional Igbo system of communal child upbringing.
They also called for the promotion of the Igbo language and greater emphasis on vocational and practical skills for children.
The keynote speaker, Dr. Nkiru Nwadinobi, a former Chairman of the Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB), said the traditional system of communal upbringing once involved co-wives, umu ada and umunna in teaching children discipline, respect for elders and good moral values.
Nwadinobi lamented that the system had weakened over the years, leaving parents to shoulder the responsibility of raising their children largely on their own.
“Like before, the extended family members should be involved in training a child. Those days, neighbours on the streets helped to train and correct other children by reporting their bad behaviour to their parents.
“If you see a child half-dressed, don’t curse; rather, correct in love,” she said.
She urged mothers to revive the culture of hard work by encouraging their children to acquire practical skills during long school vacations rather than relying solely on holiday lessons.
“It seems we have failed as mothers. Igbos believe in hard work. Allow your children to learn a skill during long vacation. Do away with holiday lessons.
“Your child should be fluent in their mother tongue, Igbo language, before any other language,” Nwadinobi said.
Earlier, Uzokwe urged mothers to address negative behaviours in their children from an early age and encouraged women to be industrious and contribute to the economic wellbeing of their families.
“Our children do not go to church anymore. Child upbringing should be taken seriously. Our women should sit down and start retraining their children in the fear of the Lord and inculcate moral values in them,” she said.
Uzokwe attributed the renewed confidence in her administration to its emphasis on unity, transparency and inclusiveness, saying its programmes were designed to have a direct impact on women in the community.
She listed the achievements of her administration to include the hosting of the second Inyom Alor Worldwide Summit, construction of 12 lock-up shops at the market to promote women’s economic empowerment and revenue generation, as well as the installation of nine gates and construction of a perimeter fence around Nkwo Alor Market to curb the activities of hoodlums.
She added that women had benefited from interest-free soft loans facilitated through the President-General of Alor Community, Agbaigwe, to support their businesses.
According to her, many women and daughters of Alor had also enrolled in skills acquisition and empowerment programmes through partnerships with non-governmental organisations and the local government council.
Uzokwe identified the spiritual empowerment of women as another priority of her administration, noting that the August Meeting featured messages from three ministers of God.
She also urged members of Inyom Alor to patronise Alor Microfinance Bank, which she said had been upgraded to facilitate digital and interbank transactions, reducing the need for customers to travel to commercial banks in Nnewi.
She disclosed that the women’s next major project would be to floor Nkwoka Alor Market to address the muddy condition of the market, particularly during the rainy season.
Uzokwe further urged women to remain focused, purposeful and kind-hearted in their dealings with others.
Also speaking, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate for Councillor, Alor Ward II, Mrs Kosisochukwu Akubueze, described mothers as the “gatekeepers of the family” and urged them to devote adequate attention to raising their children.
“As mothers, we are the gatekeepers of the family. When our husbands go out in search of work, we should stay to train the children so that they don’t pick certain vices,” she said.
Akubueze expressed concern over the growing involvement of young people in drug abuse, street touting and other social vices, attributing part of the problem to inadequate parental supervision.
She said some children had become difficult to control because their parents had indulged them instead of correcting negative behaviours early.
The newly inaugurated seven-member executive of the Alor Community women is headed by Uzokwe as Women President-General.
Other members are Mrs Lucy Uzoegbunam, Vice President; Mrs Chiamaka Igwebuike, General Secretary; Mrs Chinwe Okoyeobele, Assistant Secretary; Mrs Benedicta Nwoyegbuzue, Financial Secretary; Mrs Nkiru Oyeudo, Treasurer; and Mrs Esther Okonkwo, Publicity Secretary.
