Mrs. Aisha Buhari, Nigeria First Lady, has asked her colleagues to ensure that they bequeath a better Africa to the African children than the one they inherited.
“My dear colleagues as we conclude, this summit, let history guide us to ensure that the Africa we bequeath to our children today is better than the one we inherited.
“Let us commit ourselves to working together towards achieving glorious destiny for all Africans, Mrs. Buhari, said at the Ninth African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM) summit, which she hosted in Abuja, Nigeria on Monday.
The AFLPM involves all first ladies of African states working as the international voice for global peace and reconciliation through mediation and humanitarian assistance to victims of violent conflict in Africa.
The summit was held to rally the first ladies towards addressing the peace situation on the continent.
As the incoming ninth President of the AFLPM, Mrs. Buhari thanked her colleague first ladies for their continuous support towards the mission’s mandate.
She said the task before the first ladies needed a collective commitment, hence, the cooperation of all was important to successfully attain the visions laid down for the group.
She assured her colleagues that she would discharge her duties in honesty, dedication and inclusivity as the new president.
Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, Ghana’s First lady, on her part expressed concern that the entire continent continued to experience violence with catastrophic effect especially on women, children and the very poor in society.
She urged her counterparts to directly engage society more to help minimise the effect of violence and its disastrous impact on the African people.
She said it was therefore, crucial that as important stakeholders in their respective countries, the first ladies should take it upon themselves to do more direct engagement of the society they lived in, to help reduce the impact of such violence in Africa.
Mrs. Fatima Jabbe-Bio, First lady of Sierra Leone, acknowledged that peace in Africa benefited “us women and children.”
She reminded her colleagues that even though they were not voted for politically, their job as spouses of Presidents and Heads of States in Africa was to ensure peace and stability and also support their husbands’ agenda for the people.
President Mahummadu Buhari of Nigeria, who graced the summit of the first ladies, welcomed them all to his country and urged them to keep supporting their spouses in promoting peace on the continent.
He said the Summit was such an important platform since peace had become an illusive subject that affected the development in many regions of Africa.
“The activities of insurgents and vindicatory, have led to more widespread displacement and poverty,” affecting more women and children.
“Therefore as mothers, I believe you are in better position to drive the processes of peace and actions where necessary, President Buhari said.
He expressed happiness that the AFLPM was working towards promoting peaceful coexistence within the continents in so many ways.
He reiterated the commitment of the Nigerian government to the resolutions to the AFLPM assembly and encouraged other African leaders to do same.
He called on other stakeholders to support the cause of the first ladies towards realising the core objectives of building a peaceful society.
The summit was also graced by other high profiled personalities, including Alhaji Rashid Bawa, Ghana’s High Commission to Nigeria.
