LLaraba MUREY
Gender equality, discrimination against women is the focus for Association of Wives of Traditional Rulers, AWTR, as they join their counterparts aross the world to celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day, IWD.
Also reaffirming the importance of leaving nothing to chance in supporting the girl child in becoming literate in the society.
Speaking during a press conference to commemorate this year’s celebrations, on Friday in Abuja .The president, AWTR, Hauwa Ibrahim, lamented the destruction that lack of education is causing in communities within the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
Ibirahim said “while we appreciate stakeholders’ roles in the ongoing gender equality agitation, our appeal goes to all stakeholders to continuously advocate for more community reporting on gender-based violence and gender discrimination in our society, a move that will propel Nigeria to a better path of prosperity.
“The month of March is a month use to celebrate women globally. So let’s take the necessary steps to remove all obstacles to gender equality and the advancement of women in the seventeen chiefdoms.”
According to her “National Assembly’s rejection of bills seeking gender equality, once again, brought to the fore the need to consistently speak against the oppression our patriarchal society imposes on women as well as the urgent need to revamp and purge any form of bias based on gender.”
Also speaking, Chief of Garki’s wife, Ambassador Hannatu Nga, stated that
“Education is very important because before we brought our heads together in 17 chiefdoms to start this Association, we have been in pain. We didn’t know how to come out to express our feelings as mothers. This is one of the purposes of this association and also to get the support of the government because the government itself cannot reach the grassroots. so we are like bridge-builders. About 80% of us are educated.”
On her part, Secretary of the Association, Halima Mohammed,said
“We cannot progress as a nation without education. Secondly, for the woman to be able to take care of her family she has to be educated. We also have to educate our girl child so that they can also contribute their own quota to National development. They men cannot do it alone we have to put our hands together so that we can move the country forward
