Laraba MUREY
The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, has commended Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State for his commitment to women’s participation in governance.
NAWOJ Vice President, Zone D, Mrs. Chizoba Ogbeche, applauded the governor for committing to implement his government’s Executive Order reserving all local government secretary positions for women in a bid to ramp up women’s participation in the affairs of the state.
The vice president, in a press statement by the Zonal Secretary, Mrs. Juliana Ofoku, Thursday in Abuja, also hailed the governor for making it compulsory that all the vice chairmen of local government areas will be female in the next local government council election in the state.
According to Ogbeche, the governor’s pledge to exceed the 35 percent Affirmative Action and setting a target of 50 percent of women in governance in the state was heart warming and deserving of commendation, especially as Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark the 2025 International Women’s Day with the theme: “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”
She maintained that Farmer Bago is not only a Gender Inclusion Champion but has set the pace in Accelerating Action for Gender Equity.
The vice president called on other state governors in the North Central as well as the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, to emulate the Niger state governor in women inclusion and empowerment.
She expressed hope that Nigeria will advance to a stage where the rights of women and girls are seen and treated as human rights.
