Women count losses in

Covid-19 survey

Women in Ahoada, Ahoada West LGA of Rivers State have said closure of markets as well as enforcement of other measures adopted by the government to contain the spread of Covid-19 in Rivers State subjected many families to immense hardship. Women were the worst hit by the impacts of the market closures which resulted to unprecedented hike in commodity prices and scarcity of goods, said the women.

The women spoke during a town hall meeting cum community sensitisation for Rivers West Senatorial District branch of Women In Governance Network (WIGN) organized recently at Ahoada in Ahoada West LGA by Centre For Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) in conjunction with the Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria.

The women lamented that people suffered greatly in the hands of government agents enforcing the Covid-19 containment measures. They said the way the measures were enforced by the governments at all levels made many to wonder whether the safety and survival of citizens were truly at the centre of the whole Covid-19 measures.

People were chased like lower animals in the bush, goods were seized from market women and destroyed by task force operatives, while security agents embarked on extortionspree, extorting huge amounts of money from helpless traders whose survival was threatened by the closure of their sources of livelihoods. The women stated that

fighting the pandemic ought to be a collective responsibility, but that unfortunately, citizens were excluded from the decisions of how to fight the pandemic, said the women.

Josiah Egbuilika, CEHRD Programme officer who facilitated the town hall meeting commended the women for their resilience, urging them not to be overwhelmed by the challenges thrown up by the Covid-19 pandemic. He explained that the meeting was aimed at creating awareness on Covid19 and the preventive measures as rolled out by the government, mitigating issues that may affect women participation in politics due to Covid-19 and to arm women with tools to put them on front view in political participation amidst the pandemic.

He urged them to abide by the social distancing measures and constant washing of hands and sanitizing as specified by the government.