As part of measures towards aligning with the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Honorable Minister of Women Affairs, Barr Uju Kennedy Ohanenye formally unveiled her Ministry’s blue print anchored on five pillars: Child Rights and protection, political empowerment, economic empowerment, digital empowerment and gender equality and social inclusion.
Making this declaration during a strategic session with Commissioners of Women Affairs drawn from the 36 states of the federation in Abuja, Barr Uju reiterated her concern towards the present plight of Nigerian women and girls adding that “ this strategic plan is intricately woven into the fabric of the eight Presidential priorities ensuring that our efforts are not only aligned with overarching vision for Nigeria but also specifically designed to address the unique challenges and aspirations of our women and children” she said.
Emphatically speaking, the Minister also added that “ I believe that the peculiar challenges we are facing as a nation can only be understood and driven better by Nigerians hence the several initiatives we have put in place to eradicate sexual and gender based violence, early child marriage, female gender mutilation, out-of-school children and abject poverty which has adversely affected our socio-economic, political and cultural growth as a nation” she also said.
She therefore charged the State Women Commissioners to embrace and vigorously pursue the initiatives and to cascade same down to the grassroots because according to her “ whatever initiatives you have as a government which do not permeate the rural areas cannot appeal to the general good and we need to change the present situation where women and children are denied the opportunity of advancing like women and children in other climes”
In her presentation, the UN Women Country Representative, Ms Beatrice Eyong stated that “ we find ourselves in a critical time of climate change, terrorism, criminality, non-inclusivity and other social vices which affects the collective strive for women to attain their full potentials and contribute to national growth. There is an urgent need for a change in the narratives” she said.
The Women Commissioners collectively commended the Minister for convening the strategic session which will go a long way to create uniformity for the Ministry’s programs and activities at the grass root level and pledged to align with the blueprint towards a better status for the Nigerian women and children.
Development partners such as UNICEF, UNFPA, Canadian High Commission and ECOWAS in addition to the National Council for Women Societies were also in attendance.
Ohaeri Osondu Joseph Fnipr, Fcai
Special Assistant, Media
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