PRECIOUS NNADI
The ongoing August Meeting by the Action Peoples Party (APP) senatorial candidate for Owerri Zone, Mazi Chima Matthew Amadi, PhD, is designed to go beyond electoral politics by providing direct insight into the economic and social challenges confronting women and communities across the zone, his Chief Press Secretary, Hon. Cajetan Duke, has said.
Duke, who spoke with journalists in Owerri over the weekend, disclosed that Amadi has so far visited more than 49 community-based women associations and 10 faith-based groups as part of an extensive engagement expected to reach about 126 women groups across Owerri Zone before its conclusion.
He described the annual August Meeting as one of the most enduring grassroots institutions in Igboland, noting that beyond its cultural significance, the gathering offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from women who bear much of the burden of sustaining families and driving development at the community level.
“What makes this engagement important is that Mazi is not merely addressing the women; he is listening to them. In every community, they speak about their businesses, healthcare, schools, roads, the welfare of their children and the development needs of their communities. These are conversations that should matter to anyone genuinely interested in public service,” Duke said.
According to him, the tour has revealed a pattern of concerns across the communities visited, particularly around household poverty, access to capital, healthcare, unemployment, declining public infrastructure and the struggle of women to sustain small businesses in the face of rising economic pressures. He said Amadi has also used the visits to support development initiatives being undertaken by the various women groups.
Duke said the experience has reinforced Amadi’s position that women empowerment should move away from what he described as the seasonal politics of distributing rice, wrappers, fertiliser and other consumables to interventions capable of creating lasting economic opportunities. “Relief has its place, but empowerment must give people the capacity to stand on their own. Our women need access to credit, skills, markets and opportunities to grow what they are already doing,” he said.
He argued that women must occupy a central place in any serious strategy to tackle poverty, given their influence on household welfare and community development. “Our fight against poverty must be anchored on women empowerment. When you empower a woman, you strengthen a family; and when families are economically stronger, communities become stronger. That is the thinking behind these engagements,” Duke added.
The Chief Press Secretary further disclosed that the issues emerging from the meetings are being documented to help shape Amadi’s legislative priorities for Owerri Zone, particularly in the areas of women and youth enterprise, access to affordable credit, healthcare, education, skills development and community infrastructure. He said the intention was to ensure that any future legislative interventions reflect needs identified through direct engagement with the people rather than assumptions made on their behalf.
Duke, a former Imo State Publicity Secretary of the APC and immediate past Interim State Publicity Secretary of the APP, maintained that although Amadi is seeking election to the Senate, the scale and substance of the August Meeting tour give it a significance beyond the forthcoming election. “Elections will come and go, but the challenges confronting our women and communities will remain unless leadership deliberately addresses them. For Mazi, this is about listening to the people, understanding their realities and building a legislative agenda around those realities. That is why we insist that this engagement is beyond politics,” he said.