By WINNERS have emerged at the annual Wise Women Award, (WWA), meant to reward and recognise Christian women in Nigeria that have impacted their community, with the award going to women in the media, business women and those who passionately affected their community through humanitarian services.
The WWA, which was founded by Pastor Mrs. Marjorie Esomowei, co-founder of the Triumphant Church International, UK was held over the weekend in Lagos.
The 2017 edition recognised Christian women in Nigeria, amongst whom are the wife of the editor of BusinessDay newspaper, Mrs. Funke Osae-Brown, 19 years old 400 level student of Engineering at the Covenant University, Naomi EKpoki, and 60 years widow of five children, Mrs. Blessing Ochuba who struggle alone to take of her five children.
The award, which has been in existence for 13 years, had four categories: the Professional Christian Women Award, Christian Business Woman Award, the Christian Woman in Community Service Award and a special one known as the Inspirational Woman award of the year 2017.
Funke Osae-Brown was recognised for her role in helping to develop Nigerian youths through her involvement in NaijaTimes and Naomi Ekpoki was rewarded for her involvement in raising a voice for girls who suffer from Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) while the Inspirational Woman award of the year 2017, went to Mrs. Nneoma Florence Uche, President of the Women’s Fellowship of the Methodist Church, and whose husband, Dr. Samuel C. K Uche is the Prelate of the Methodist Church, Nigeria.
She was recognised for her service in helping to alleviate poverty among the women and promoting God’s word among the women through seminars, conferences and workshops.
Mrs. Akhere Akran founder of the Agatha Obiagele Aghedo Memorial Foundation won the Christian Women Community service award for her role in helping to alleviate the suffering of less privileged in local communities by providing relief materials for them while Mrs Omowale Ogunrinde, founder of the Foundation for Skills Development was recognised for her value work with women in medium and small scale enterprise.
In the Professional Christian Women category, Mrs kate Nnanna-Ibemgbo, an Air Traffic Controller with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency was rewarded for using an online platform Kate’s Korner to provide words of encouragement and empowerment for purposeful living and fruitful life to women while in the Christian Women in Community Service category, Mrs Sharo Onojeta was recognised for touching the lives of wives whom she taught how to make their homes better as well as giving them practical business skills that generated income for them.
Earlier in her opening address, Founder of the Wise Women Award, Pastor Mrs. Marjorie Esomowei, described the award as an ward that is completely different from others because it does not allow for voting stressing that people are only allowed to nominate while the team of erudite judges study the credentials and the activities of the nominees to pick the winners.
According to her, the award is for women who never gave up on themselves despite all odds and still brave it to impact their communities saying that the award is for women who write cheques to support the work of God, women who lost it all but refused to give up but tried again, women like Leah in the Bible who were not discouraged though they were not loved.
She said that the WWA which started in UK 13 years ago has expanded across the whole of Europe noting that the presence of the award in Nigeria, which is already in its fifth edition, is part of its expansion in Africa.
Mrs. Esomowei disclosed that the aim of the award is to encourage ordinary women that are doing sacrificial work in their community and propagating the work of God within their community and outside their churches by taking care of the needs of others and running food baskets in their communities.
She also said that the WWA is meant to recognised women who despite their challenges went ahead to inspire others and be of help to people in their communities and empower other Christian women in the country stressing that the emphasize of the award is that the winners went outside the walls of the church to impact the society, just like as Jesus would do.
She said further that the incredible work that Nigerian Christian women are doing outside the walls of the church was what gave birth to the WWA noting that “we are just showing appreciation to them for the life and families that they have touched through their various deeds and activities.”
In pep-talk, Founder of the annual MOMS Ball and Publisher of the MOMS Africa Magazine, Mrs. Mary Ikoku called for a rethink of the dressing of modern Christian women and the kind of music in Churches saying that Christian women should set godly standard for their lives.
She explained that dressing style of most Christian women today does not portray godliness and sobriety saying, “sometimes you don’t know if the world is the church. We now bring the world into the church; men are tired of seeing naked women in the church.”
She urged Christian women to check key areas of their life which listed as their shapes, spiritual life, ability, personality and experience in life.
Also speaking, Mrs. Bisi Fatuga urged Christian women to brace up and get extra source of income to support the family saying that there are several skills that they can turn into income for the family.
She said they can decide to turn their passion into a business enterprise and that there are non-traditional things that are part of them that they can sell while another speaker, Mrs. Bimbo Okutina called on Christian women to become the salt of the earth by adding value to the community where they are.
The WWA provides Christian women from across the denominational spectrum and across Nigeria with an opportunity to be recognised and nominated for their contributions in the world of work, business, media, sports and church and win an award.
Isaiah Erhiawarien, West Africa
