Foreign
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Aspire Women Forum (AWF), said on Monday it was seeking collaboration with Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) towards ensuring more inclusion of women in governance.
The group, led by its Founder, Ms Zainab Maruwa, made this known during its courtesy visit to the Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, to formally intimate her about its forthcoming AWF Happy Conference 2020.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event, which is scheduled to hold on Dec. 12, at the International Conference Centre, has the theme: “A Woman: My Purpose.”
Maruwa said that the historic inter-generational event would host more than 200 participants comprising women and girls, which would be a follow-up to AWF’s retreat organised earlier.
She said that the retreat was aimed at commemorating the 2020 International Women’s Day with the theme: “I am Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights.”
She added that AWF was looking at happiness as an inalienable right of every woman.
“The conference is coming at a crucial moment in our nation when research has revealed that there is an escalating rate of suicide, murder, despondency, hopelessness and drug abuse among women.
“In fact, one in four drug abusers in Nigeria is a woman.
“This, coupled with the recent COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and the shadow pandemic of gender-based violence, has caused more women to nurse fear, anxiety and depression.
“It is a grave situation which we at AWF seek to address holistically.
“The conference is a one-day interactive and informative session with engaging and exciting speakers and coaches including John Maxwell, a certified consultant, who will handle different sessions.
“He will demonstrate practical approaches to finding and maintaining a purpose in the life of every woman and its direct link to finding and keeping happiness in line with the domains of acquiring knowledge, skill and attitude,” she said.
Maruwa added that the conference was also designed to foster inter-generational dialogue as encouraged by the Beijing Platform for Action.
“It will create a platform that will synchronise both older and younger generations to share their Financial, Emotional and Spiritual (FES) regiment and their experiences in discovering their purpose, with the younger generation participating.
`’We shall also have some younger ones doing exceptionally well in their various fields telling us their stories.
“AWF is poised to lift women up and part of our mission is to use motivational behavioural couching, using experts to lead women to self-actualisation.
“The forum is saying, `come to us let us mentor you to greatness; let us equip you with the tools to achieve your purpose’,” she said.
Responding, Mrs Dabiri-Erewa applauded the efforts of Mrs Maruwa and the group in putting the NGO together, saying that it showed hard work and determination.
She called on all women to participate at the conference.
“I think the ‘Happy Conference’ will be a platform for every woman that participates to feel happy, because at the end of the day, everyone’s goal in life is to be happy.
“So, I ask, what makes you happy in life as a woman? What is your purpose in life? That is why as women, we need to come together and share our stories and mentor one another at the conference.
“As we do that, I want to call on every woman, young, old, rich and poor, to participate in this conference because anyone that participates will be a happier person at the end of the day,” she said.
NAN reports that guests and keynote speakers expected on the occasion include the wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, and the Coordinator, UN Spotlight Initiative, Ms Hadiza Aminu .(NAN)
– Dec. 7, 2020 @ 16:43 GMT |
Tags: NGO seeks collaboration with NiDCOM for more women inclusion in governance
