Wife of The Senate President and Grand Patron of White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria, WRAN, Mrs Toyin Saraki, has expressed shock and sadness at the sudden death of British Member of Parliament, Jo Cox.
In a statement reacting to the news communicated by Betsy McCallon, White Ribbon Alliance Global CEO, Mrs Saraki said, “I am deeply saddened to learn of Jo’s death and I offer my heartfelt condolences to her husband, Brendon Cox, as well as her two children. I will always remember Jo’s groundbreaking advocacy efforts to stem the tide of preventable deaths in pregnancy, as the Director of the White Ribbon Alliance’s Maternal Mortality Campaign.
“As the Goodwill Ambassador for International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), I recognise that Jo’s campaign contributed greatly to the Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) effort of the United Nations Secretary-General, which promoted the deployment of midwives. Jo’s death is a blow to the maternal health community, globally, who remember and recognise her invaluable contribution. May her soul rest in peace.”
Tonte Ibraye, who is the National Coordinator for the White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria (WRAN), added that: ‘‘the death of Jo Cox came as a shock to us. Over the years, before joining politics, Jo worked very hard as a staff of the White Ribbon Alliance and as Director of the Maternal Mortality Campaign, alongside Her Excellency, Sarah Brown, to include maternal health in the agenda of global meetings. This campaign also contributed to the UN Secretary General developing and presenting a Global Strategy for Women and Children’s Health at the Women Deliver Conference in Washington DC in 2010. We will surely miss her.”
