13Dec, 23
- Temidayo Taiwo-Sidiq
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- Speaker Abbas highlights 10th House Agenda to pass Gender Equal Opportunities Bill
- Stakeholders urged to work with sincerity of purpose
The House of Representatives has restated its commitment to pass the Gender Equal Opportunities Bill (GEOB) in order to ensure women are active and equal participants in political and decision-making processes.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen PhD, gave this assurance on Wednesday in Abuja, during a Women’s Stakeholders Conference hosted by the House Committee on Women’s Affairs and Social Development.
Represented by the House Deputy Chief Whip. Rep. Adewunmi Oriyomi Onanuga (APC, Ogun), the Speaker in his remarks, described the Conference with the theme ‘Women Empowerment and Sustainable Policy Document’ as timely. Rep. Abbas, who extolled the key roles played by Nigerian women in the international arena, as well as various sectors of national life pledged that oversight of government institutions will be strengthened to ensure full compliance with the National Gender Policy.
In her welcome address, Chairperson of the House Committee on Women’s Affairs and Social Development, Rep. Kafilat Ogbara (APC, Lagos) emphasised the need for collaboration among stakeholders in women's development. She also advocated women inclusion in the 2024 Appropriation Bill currently under consideration in the National Assembly.
On her part, the Minister of Women Affairs, Barr. Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, called for a change in strategy by focusing on sustainable women empowerment initiatives and a change of policies holding back women development. The Minister who berated donor agencies over their penchant for sponsoring meetings, foreign trips, advocacies and talk shops, noted that there was need for accountability on their part.
She stressed that her Ministry has put a stop to the practice of sponsoring programmes, and was channelling the funds available to it, into empowering women in rural communities (grouped into cooperatives) across the country.
Hansatu Adegbite, Executive Director of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), who was a panellist at the Conference, harped on the need for data-driven policies, empowerment in the areas of digital and financial literacy, as well as increased women's participation in agriculture, A representative of Zouera Youssoufou, Managing Director of Dangote Foundation shared on its efforts at empowering women across the country.
Another panelist also charged participants on the place of passion and focus as keys to succeeding in male-dominated industries, and called for financial encouragement to enable greater participation.
Others who spoke at the Conference include Rep. Marie Ebikake (PDP, Bayelsa), Rep. Lilian Orogbu (LP, Anambra), Rep. Regina Akume (APC, Benue), Rep. Saidu Musa Abdullahi (APC, Niger), Hon. Asabe Bashir; Director-General of the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development, and Ms. Yeside Olasimbo; Special Assistant to the Speaker of the House of Representatives (Women’s Affairs).
The Conference also featured a question and answer session where stakeholders were enjoined to carry women with disabilities along in their various programmes and empowerment initiatives, as well as the younger generation through access, opportunities and mentorship intitiatives.
The Women’s Stakeholders Conference held in partnership with the Wealth & Empowerment for Women Initiative (WeWin) had legislators, heads of parastatals, donor organisations, the media, civil society and non–governmental organisations in attendance.
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