Benin City — Edo State First Lady, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, has responded to remarks made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole concerning her childlessness, offering words of encouragement to women facing similar challenges.
In a Zoom meeting with Edo women in the Diaspora, Mrs. Obaseki reassured them that being without children does not define their worth.
She emphasised that, in God's time, they will become mothers and should not be disheartened by hurtful comments.
"The children will come in God's time," she stated, calling on women to hold their heads high and remain hopeful."
Her words "I would like to say to every woman and sister, if you feel hurt by whatever you heard; for me, I haven't paid much attention to it. My word of comfort to you will be, in addition to seeking God's purpose and finding fulfillment therein, I will say to those of you sisters who like myself had conceived and had miscarriages; who like myself had painful evacuations of our babies who have died in our wombs; who have conceived and birth babies who died at birth or at different stages in life, and as we speak today do not have children to show for the trauma and the pains that we experienced in life; my word of comfort to you as I say to myself, is you are not barren.
"Don't be hurt if anyone calls you that or if anyone calls your fellow woman that; you are not barren. I dare to call you fruitful. You and I are potential, prospective proud mothers of lively children. The children will come in God's time. So, hang in there. Hold your head up high. You are not barren. Enjoy the life that God has given you in the meantime. Thank God for what you have. Thank God for a loving spouse, like I have. I say I have the best husband in the world. Thank God for the love of family and friends and those support systems that God has given you."
"Let us be serious. Governance is serious business. Nigeria is a member of a civilized global society. Other countries take their elections and their governance seriously. What we are saying in Edo is that let our political class begin to take this issue of politics, elections and governance seriously. Let them remember that there is a second gender in this country and women must continue to be represented on all fronts.
