Miss Ngozi Ugochi-Ugo,  the newly appointed aide of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has began a campaign to encourage girls to learn Taekwando. 

She said it will help them to defend themselves in case of attack by rapists. It was her first post since 16 September 2017. Ngozi was reacting to the killing of Miss Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, a 100 level student of the University of Benin, by her rapists inside the church where she was reading. 

Ngozi also attended UNIBEN between 2012 and 2017. “Unfortunately, this case is just one out of many other cases of rape in Nigeria. Uwa was not in a bar or walking down the street wearing a short skirt (one of the many myopic justifications we give for rape occurrence) she was in the church, reading”,

Ngozi wrote.“If someone like Uwa can be raped and murdered inside a church building then what can happen to rest of us?? Unfortunately the world is not safe and women are even more vulnerable”, she added.

“We can march all we want chanting justice! Justice! But what happens later on? After the culprits are apprehended, what happens when another case of rape and murder rises again, do we pick up our placards and chant Justice! Justice!“I am certain Nigeria will change for the better but what we don’t know is just how long it’ll take this change to come.

How many more people do we have to lose?? How many more girls have to go through the traumatic experience that comes with rape?? Just how many more??“My take is if the society cannot change for the better to allow women live long enough to achieve their dreams then we (women) need to change, we need to be able to protect ourselves or at least have a fighting chance.

“I was a part of a summer camp: the Bemore summer boot camp, 2019 organised by Her Excellency Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu (First Lady of Ondo State) were over 200 girls were exposed to the basics of taekwondo for them to be able to at least defend themselves or stall their attackers long enough to seek external help and these girls were equipped for life.“I think taekwondo should be added to extra curricular activities in our schools, children from nursery schools should be taught self defence.

“Most parents frown at the idea of engaging their daughters in taekwondo because they feel, it would make her more manly and a scarecrow for men.“Parents can you please give your daughter a fighting chance?????“Uwa might still be alive today if she had some skills to defend herself.“It’s so sad.“Rest in peace Uwa”, Ngozi concluded. 

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