General News
GOV. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara on Thursday urged women to hold political party candidates accountable to the promises they made on gender equity ahead of the 2023 general election.
AbdulRazaq made the call during the 22nd Regular National Council on Women Affairs (NCWA), organised by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in Abuja.
The theme of the 2022 NCWA is “Gender Inclusivity and Women Economic Empowerment: Making the Change Work for Women and Children”.
He also encouraged women to ensure that the promises made during party manifestos aimed at addressing challenges affecting women were kept.
The governor added that Kwara has kept its promises on 35 per cent affirmative action, as the state is currently being run by women who are heading key governance positions.
According to him, women are 60 per cent in parliament with three out of the four federal level appointment positions for the state being occupied by women.
He revealed that the decision to include women in key positions made positive changes in health and poverty reduction, among others.
“Giving women a seat on the table is very important. It is not right not to include women when key decisions are made because they have a lot to offer.
“Kwara State has 60 per cent women in parliament and they occupy the key positions. We handed over the state to women and we have seen changes in healthcare, poverty, etc,” he said.
“The top four federal appointments for Kwara state, three of the four positions are women such as the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission.
“So, we are pushing our best women to the FCT to also learn more and bring more development to the state.
“On empowerment, we rolled our social investments programme two years ago and we have given N10,000 or N20,000 to over 20,000 women to support their businesses so they can be more self reliant,” he added.
He, therefore, urged others to encourage women inclusion in all governance and leadership structures for the desired growth and development to be achieved.
Mrs Pauline Tallen, the Minister of Women Affairs, said the ministry prioritise issues affecting women and children with a view to protecting their rights and empowering them.
“We prioritised gender-based violence, social, cultural inequalities and other harmful practices that disproportionately affect the health of women and children.
“We focused on inclusive interventions towards enhancing the socio-economic development of Nigeria for impactful outcomes in line with the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” she said.
According to her, through the Nigeria for Women Project, supported by World Bank, N3 billion was disbursed to 67,358 women.
She said they partnered with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to assist small-scale farmers through a project targeted at 8,000 vulnerable Women.
Tallen said over 25,000 women entrepreneurs have so far received online trainings under collaboration with ECOWAS and Access Bank 50 Million Women Speak Platform Project (50MWSPP) designed to reposition women entrepreneurs in Nigeria through digital marketing.
The minister further disclosed that 34 states have domesticated the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act (2015) and 32 states, the Child Rights Acts (2003).
On her part, Hajiya Lami Lau, the President, National Council for Women Societies (NCWS), emphasised the role of women in achieving sustainable economic development.
She said: “When women gather change happens, therefore, I have no doubt that at the end of this meeting we shall begin to experience fundamental changes that will transform the lives of women, girls and children in Nigeria.”
Lau, therefore, advocated that the national gender policy should take full effect as a blueprint for action and women empowerment to reduce poverty and vulnerability.
“Finally, and most importantly we demand an end to insecurity, violence against women and girls and the protection of women in conflict situations,” she said. (NAN)
A.I
Tags: GOV. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq Hajiya Lami Lau Mrs Pauline Tallen
