Ex-NAN Senior Reporter, Igwe Bags UN-POLAC Award

Posted by Ignatius Okpara Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Wednesday, December 25th, 2024

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – In recognition of her role in peace building, human rights advocacy and defence of women and girl child, the United Nations UN-POLAC foundation, has conferred its distinguished women award of peace and honour (DWOPHA) on former Senior reporter with the news Agency of Nigeria (NAN), and current Managing Director of a Non governmental organizations NGO, Custos Care Foundation (CCF), Comrade Mrs Egodi Blessing Igwe.

The organization stated that the recognition was informed by her antecedents and pivotal role she had been playing over the years in promoting peace in the society, adding that as a human right activist, Comrade Igwe, has touched many lives.

It explained that the award is aimed at encouraging its recipients to keep promoting peace in the society, stressing that the DWOPHA award is so dear and highly cherished by the group.

Director General of the organization, Professor Halo Eton, had during the award ceremony in Lagos, South West Nigeria, averred that it is only conferred on eminent Women of integrity who have pushed the frontiers of the female gender leadership.

He noted that in October 2000, the UN security council unanimously adopted resolution 1325 turning point in understanding and recognizing the role of women and girls in addressing the issues of peace and security .

According to him, “over the years, women have been imparting the world positively through their contributions in peace building/women Rights advocacy, empowering Communities, building politics, education, health and business”

Comrade Igwe is a human Rights Activist, Peace Advocate/Mediator, Social Crusader and a Communications Expert.

She is currently the Managing Director of an Enugu based non governmental organization, Custos Care Foundation (CCF) and the Founder of Bloom Voice Communications.

Born into the family of Mr Josephine Ijeamaka, Onyanta, and Mrs Stella Akukpezu Ijeamaka of Olocha, Adogbalato-Awgu, Awgu Council Area of Enugu State.

She started her primary education at the Central school Awgu, and Secondary School at Rosary High School Awgu in 1989, before proceeding to the Federal Polytechnic Oko, Anambra State where she bagged HND in Mass Communication (Upper Credit).

On work Experiences, after completing her National Youth Service Corps 2003/2004 batch “B” at the FCT Abuja, and completed her Primary assignment with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), she was retained and given appointment as a news reporter.

She was immediately deployed to Nsukka where she jump-started her journalism career as a district correspondent at the Nsukka District office.

However, due to family exigencies Comrade Igwe, later resigned from NAN, and moved to South Africa.

While in South Africa to serve humanity, she volunteered for several charitable organizations such as the Xaveri Movement, a youth-based organisation working to empower poor and vulnerable youths in South Africa as well as supporting migrant refugees from the DRC, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe, and other war-turned nations in Africa.

Upon her return to Nigeria, Egodi took up a job with the Women Aid Collective (WACOL) Tamar SARC as a Communications Manager and worked in the agency for nine (9) years.

As a staff of WACOL she was offered opportunities to develop her capacity and hone her skills in diverse areas besides communications, including governance, gender and social inclusion, human rights, mentorship, advocacy, conflict resolution and peace mediation.

This diverse skills paved way for her to serve in numerous positions including Head of Communication WACOL, Program Officer on the Voice to the People Project( V2P), and Programs Lead in the projects to transform and translate Social Norms and Practices that Promotes Violence against Women and Girls in seven 7 states; South East and South-South, Nigeria Funded by the Ford Foundation (FF) .

She assumed the position of the Centre Manager WACOL Tamar SARC enabling her to handle and mediate on cases of Sexual and Gender-based Violence incidents including facilitating justice for over 1000 survivors such as widows, orphans, and other indigent women.

She worked in other numerous projects funded by the reputable organizations such as DFID, USAID, International Foundations on Electoral Violence (IFES), Christian Aid (CA), Action Aid Nigeria (AAN)/Global Affairs Canada (GAC), UNDP, British Council,

Egodi, fondly called Decency by her peers, is astute, resilient, highly motivated, forward looking with eager curiosity to learn, and challenge herself.

Driven by passion to succeed Egodi applied for her postgraduate studies at the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus, where she studied Development Studies at a Post Graduate level.

The awardee is also actively involved in leadership and has demonstrated impeccable leadership skills in both formal and informal sectors.

She was pivotal to the establishment of Awgu Town Undergraduates Association (ATUGA), and also served as the Vice President.

Her participation in the Students Unionism enabled her to serve in many capacities in the school.

While in S.A, she alongside many other women founded the Obinwanne women Association SA, and served as the pioneer chairperson. Under her Leadership, the organization renovated the Awgu baby welfar3 Centre (Baby Way) in 2013 putting tiles in the dilapidated floors to ensure that women on antenatal visits to the facility and new-born babies enjoy a life of dignity.

It bought uniforms for her members. Similarly, she has used her position to attract several other projects in rural communities including a water borehole for two communities.

In the same vein, through her work as a humanitarian, she has empowered numerous women youths and widows in her state and LGAs through various social interventions.

Egodi is also a cofounder of the Umuada Awgu Progressive Association, aka (Umuada Global), a Socio-cultural group that unites all daughters of Awgu LGA established in 2023 and holds the position of the Head of Program in the organisation. And the brain behind the formation of the Umuhu Women Group.

She is the Convener of the “Blooming Youth HUB” a Youth mentorship network. Her passion for children, youths and women particularly the underserved persons had continued to draw her to the field of development and charitable services.

The award recipient is currently the Managing Director of the Custos Care Foundation (CCF) and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), based in Enugu that partners with local and international organizations to design and implement intervention to support and promote rights, interests and well-being of the indigent people.

CCF is a pet project of the wife of the Governor of Enugu State, Her Excellency Mrs Nkechinyere Ihuoma Mbah. And the publisher of the BloomVoice News and Wawa Voices, which are online news platforms.

Training Attended: In 2019, travelled far and wide including Africa and South America. In 2019, she Egodi Blessing Igwe attended the Women Leadership and National development in Kigali, Rwanda alongside other seven women from Enugu with the sponsorship of the Enugu State government.

Other training she attended are; Gender and Transformative Leadership Training (2015) –UNESCO, Communications for Change Strategic Communications and Advocacy Training, Media Development Program, Project Cycle Management, Youth Mentorship/Mentor, Mediation and Conflict Resolution, etc.

She is a member of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Member National Association of Women Journalist NAWOJ) amongst others.

She has also received several other awards in the past including a Merit award by the Awgu Undergraduates Association (ATUGA), the Ada Awgu Achievers Award 2018 from in the category of the Influential Women of the Year.

Comrade Egodi is happily married to Engr Simon Chukwunulu Igwe, with two (2) lovely children Joshua Izuchukwu Precious Igwe and Henry Nnabuikem Udodimma Igwe.