Churches must take violence against women seriously- Ezekwesili

Former Vice President of World Bank for Africa region and Minister of Education in Nigeria, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili has called on churches and religious organisations to take issue of violence against women seriously.

The former World Bank chief and activist stressed that churches can no longer ignore this threat and the danger it poses to women.

Ezekwesili made the call while reacting to the death of gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, who passed away on Friday, April 8, 2022, at the age of 42.

Nwachukwu had teamed up with another singer, Prospa Ochimana, to make the hit song, ‘Ekwueme’, which shot both of them into limelight in 2017.
It was reported in some quarters that she died of throat cancer and had been on life support for about two months.

The dominant narrative about Osinachi’s untimely death was the allegations that the deceased was a victim of domestic violence.

In a series of tweets on her verified twitter handle, the former minister described gender-based violence as an epidemic in Nigeria, Africa, and globally.

Ezekwesili tweets: “The death of Osinachi Nwachukwu of the epic ‘Ekwueme’ worship song really hit hard. To read allegations of spousal abuse worsens the pain. I hope the truth is unearth and justice given.

“Everyone, including churches, must take issues of violence against women seriously. urgently

“I doubt that many in our society really pay enough attention to the troubling data that’s available on gender-based violence in Nigeria, Africa, and the world at large. It is actually an epidemic. Globally, a 2018 study shows nearly 1 in 3, or 30% of women are victims.

“A UN-women report titled ‘Measuring the shadow pandemic: Violence against women during COVID-19’ revealed that 48% of Nigerian women have experienced at least one form of violence since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is crazy. It is worse than a pandemic. We must act to tackle it.”