By Archibong Jeremiah
Becheve Youth Elites Association (BYEA) has denied the existence of the “Money Wife” practice in Obanliku local government area of Cross River State.
The group in a press release said the Prime Progress report showing that the practice is still practiced and survivors are in dire need of help is staged.
They alleged in a press release that the report is an attack on their culture.
The release was signed by Alagbor Albert A – President, Alina Peters – Vice President, Ogwaza Justin – Secretary General, Henry William Ocha – Assistant Secretary General, Akor Jerome – Financial Secretary, Atung Okume Alina – Treasurer, and Elam Joshua – PRO.
Other signatories are Egonu Sunday – Auditor General, Ogweshi Mustapha – Legal Adviser 1, Paul Adinya – Legal Adviser 2, and Judith Ichile – Head of Gender Sensitivities.
It reads in full:
We the entire Becheve Youth Elites woke up this morning 29th of June 2023 to the unfortunate and misleading video attacking and colonizing the good culture and tradition of Becheve people in Obanliku LGA by Prime Progress where we have been working tirelessly with the Becheve traditional stools and other concerned organizations (NGOs) many years ago that has led to the prohibition of the defunct “Child Marriage” of the Becheve Martial Culture.
This is coming barely eight months after the good culture and the tradition of our dear father and ancestral land was similarly invaded by one Tunde Onakoya with the same aim of misrepresenting becheve culture and tradition to make money from alien NGOs as we arrested the erroneous episode by the perpetrators.
To this end, becheve youth elites association will not live to see this unfortunate and incessant misrepresentation of the good culture and the tradition of the becheve people continually.
We must decolonize the strangers who have little or no fundamental knowledge about the fantastic culture of our great people.
In fact, it may interest the entire world to know that; during the just concluded Becheve youths and leaders summit on the 24th of June, 2023 a lot was discussed and agreed upon via a communique on this “so-called money woman marriage saga” which simply means dowry “paid marriage or bride price”.
Consequently, BYEA is calling on the Cross River State Government and the entire world to disregard these grant-seeking NGOs who are just bent on eroding Becheve marital culture as we also advise them to engage in other alternatives.
Becheve Youth Elites’ Association is a community development-based organization founded in April 2022 with the sole aim of developing Becheve society and advocating against any form of child or teenage marriage/abuses thereof and Obanliku at large.
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