Laraba MUREY
The National Council of Women Societies, NCWS has commended the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her Renewed Hope initiative, which has been supporting women empowerment programs across the country.
The NCWS President, Princess Edna Azura, praised the First Lady’s initiative during the event marking International Women’s Day on Friday in Abuja.
The event, which was attended by women leaders and entrepreneurs from across Nigeria, featured discussions on women empowerment, entrepreneurship, and gender equality.
In her welcome address, Princess Azura noted that this year’s global theme, “Accelerate Action,” is a call to action for all stakeholders to intensify efforts towards achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls.
“We must remind ourselves of the significant progress made towards gender equality in Nigeria,” Azura said. “However, despite the legal frameworks, National policies, and international obligations that Nigeria has subscribed to, the gap between policy commitments and actual implementation remains significant.”
She identified some of the challenges that still hinder women’s empowerment and participation in all spheres of life, including limited access to education and economic opportunities, disproportionate burden of caregiving responsibilities, increased vulnerability to gender-based violence, and under-representation in leadership positions.
To address these challenges, Azura emphasized the need for collective effort from all stakeholders, including government, civil society, private sector, and individuals. “We must accelerate action towards achieving gender equality,” she said.
She also commended the First Lady’s Renewed Hope initiative, which has been providing support to women in various areas, including education, healthcare, and economic empowerment. “This initiative has been a beacon of hope for many women, providing them with the support and resources they need to succeed,” Azura said.
The NCWS President also announced that the council will be launching its own financial support initiative for women entrepreneurs, aimed at providing them with the resources they need to grow their businesses.
In addition, she expressed gratitude to the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, for her commitment to empowering women and promoting their socio-economic development.
The event featured a symposium with the sub-theme, “The Future is Now: Empowering Women and Youths to Thrive.” The NCWS President emphasized the importance of empowering women and youths to take control of their futures, and investing in their education, skills development, and economic empowerment.
The event ended with a call to action, urging all stakeholders to work towards the implementation of the three key objectives of the World Bank Group Strategy for 2024-2030, which aims to accelerate gender equality for a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive future.
Also speaking, National Vice President of the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists, Northcentral, Chizoba Ogbeche, emphasized the importance of accelerating action for women’s empowerment in Nigeria. The theme “Accelerating Action” is a call to do better, particularly in terms of women’s political and economic empowerment.
Ogbeche highlights the “Her Seat in Parliament and Governance” program, which aims to sensitize women and the public on the importance of accepting the 74 seats allocated for women in parliament. The program seeks to make people understand that women are not trying to take over from men, but rather want a place at the table to influence policies that affect them and other vulnerable groups.
Ogbeche notes that Nigerian women will be joining other women from around the world for the CSW meeting in New York, where they will share their story and emphasize that while progress has been made, more needs to be done.
She pointed the recent 1,000% increment in the women’s budget is a significant step forward, but there is still much work to be done to address the issues affecting women in Nigeria.
The International Women’s Day is a day set aside to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
