GAFA president set to give daughter in marriage, campaigns for better society

The President Global Association of Female Attorney (GAFA), Barr. Chinelo Iriele, has made a case for a better, peaceful, and happy society through the respect and sustenance of the marriage institution.

Barr. Iriele made the assertion at a Mothers Night in her honour, recently in Abuja, as she prepares to give our her daughter, Uchenna Iriele, on marriage.

The Association’s president reaffirmed the commitment of GAFA to promoting justice, equality, and human rights, with a focus on creating a better society for all.

She emphasized the organisation’s dedication to advocating for policies and laws that promote equality, justice, and human rights.

She further stated, “As you are well aware, my beloved daughter Uchenna will be getting married to her heartthrob  Okwunna on Saturday March 15, 2025 in North Carolina, USA, as a prelude to the epoch making occasion, I have specially invited you to celebrate with me and family as we advance towards the wedding proper.

“The purpose of our assembly tonight is not misplaced as it is meant to celebrate our love for ourselves and for one another.

for ourselves and for one another. I knidly advocate that we go beyond winning, dinning and dancing to watch, listen and digest our soft approach to sundry issues that touch on our lives as men, women fathers mothers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunties, and members of the global family.

“While expressing my profound gratitude to you all for accepting the invitation, I seek for  continuous prayer and support for a successful marriage between Uchenna Iriele and Okwunna Obi before, during, and after the wedding, as well as for the Irieles and Obis.”

The event featured drama presentation by members of the GAFA on the theme for the day and paper presentation by Rita Chris Garuba and Ace Nollywood Actor, Kenneth Okonkwo.

Speaking on the Womanhood: Our Role as Mothers in the Home, Rita Chris Garuba, stressed that womanhood was all about embracing femininity, nurturing, and caring for others

“Women find strength in challenges of life. Womanhood entails the ability  of a mother, a sister, a problem solver, and a friend.  Womanhood is not just something that you make your own wish. It means that womanhood is actually a journey that evolves and changes.”

She informed that the role of woman as a wife in her home was fundamental and essential  for a successful family; noting that; “The woman anchors it all and it is the way she handles her role as wife and mother that brimga out the society we have today.”

Fielding questions from journalists on why many marriages were collapsing, she said: “Many women are not fulfilling their roles effectively because we have a lot of distraction.

“Money is the main distraction. Many women are often working left, right, and center trying to make money for the family and in the process the family suffers…Things are crashing g because we are not adjusting properly to the need of the day. Mothers have to adjust to get things to work properly.

“Society has changed, and we appear to have moved away from roles that we need to play. A lot of mothers find it difficult to talk to their children. There is also the influence of society. When we were growing up we were fearful of our parents but now our children are very difficult and there is a dichotomy between them and us. There is not enough understanding. We must come back to look at how to make it work because it has to work for society to be good.”

In the same vein, while speaking on the Effects of Good and Poor Parenting on the Children, Kenneth Okonkwo harped on the need for parents to live by example because children learn from what they see and not what you say to them.

He maintained that parents needed to get their marriages right as the foundation of the home was very important.

According to the movie star, “Marriage is not always about whether a woman is good or a man is good. It’s more about the compatibility of the couple. When people want to get married, they should not think that there are certain things they can leave unresolved.

“There are little things that couples think don’t matter, but they eventually matter. That is why they need to resolve everything. They need to know each other’s irreducible minimum. They should know the things they can tolerate and the things they can not tolerate. If someone has attributes that you can not tolerate, it is best to end it there. There is no need to be too much in haste and make mistakes.”

On why marriages were successful in the past even though they were mostly arranged by parents, he said society was restricted then and communities lived within restricted environment, even as they adhered to culture and norm of their immediate society.

“There was no internet and aeroplanes. Each community maintained a culture peculiar to them. Hardly will they marry outside their communities. Their parents were the only teachers most of them were exposed to, and they trusted their parents them completely. Their world at the time resolved around their parents and family. There were no outside influence in their lives. People didn’t have a lot of demands then.

“However, the situation has changed with modernisation and technology. So, this generation has its own challenges influenced by the environment. The distractions now are many, which is why people should be allowed to make their own choices.”