LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni Association of Nigeria (MWFAAN) has called for enhanced women’s inclusion and empowerment in government and society to drive sustainable development and promote social justice in Nigeria.
At an event commemorating International Women’s Day held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, MWFAAN emphasised the importance of inclusivity and empowerment with the theme ‘Count Her In: Inspiring Inclusion and Empowerment.’
During the event, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Citizenship and Leadership, Rinsola Abiola emphasised the importance of overcoming obstacles that impede women’s involvement in leadership roles across diverse sectors of the nation’s life.
She said, “Today’s event is essentially to spotlight women, and what we need to do to lower the barriers to women’s leadership and inclusion. What do we need to do to ensure women are better represented across different sectors of our national lives? That women are empowered to make contributions to nation-building and to be the best they can be across different sectors. To have a more fulfilled life and to be better equipped as citizens to contribute to Nigeria.”
She emphasised the necessity for structural reforms, especially through legal means, advocating for constitutional amendments to guarantee improved representation and equality for women in Nigeria.
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“There are a number of structural changes that need to be made and one of these is through the instrumentality of the law. I’m sure of some of the gender bill that didn’t succeed in the last assembly, but we are all hoping as women and gender advocates that this won’t play out this time around with the call for Constitutional alteration, proposals now and to call for public participation in the constitutional amendment process.
“I’m hoping that this time around the National Assembly will live up to expectations of Nigerian women and enact bills and except amendments to the Constitution that will deliver much better rights for Nigerian women that will really entrench equity in our constitution. We also have to look at other social issues like violence against women and other things that affect women’s participation and women quality of life,” Abiola said
Abiola praised the Nigeria Police Force for its efforts in addressing gender-related concerns but urged for additional training and capacity building for officers in dealing with such issues.
She said, “That’s also where law enforcement comes in, and the Nigerian police I’m aware have undergone quite a number of developments in being better at handling gender-related issues. Dedicated Gender unit, there is AIG who is the gender adviser to the Nigeria Police Force. There’s a lot more training that needs to be done and a lot more capacity building to enable our law enforcement officers to handle issues that have to do with women properly.”
Abiola encouraged other states to follow the lead of Lagos State by adopting initiatives like the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, which was established to effectively combat violence against women.
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“I would like to encourage other states across the federation to take the lead from Lagos State. Lagos has a domestic and sexual violence agency, and even from the sound of it, you will know that it’s a gender-focused government.
”Let us also have agencies dedicated to tackling the scourge of violence against women and to holding perpetrators accountable. We need to send a message that it is not okay to trample upon women’s rights. It is not okay to violate women’s rights as a state, as a government at every level, federal level, state level, and local government level. We will not sit back and fold our hands and let people trample upon the rights of women” she said.
President of MWFAAN, Farida Yahya, President emphasized the significance of not just including women but also empowering them. She stressed the importance of providing women with the tools and support they need to thrive. Yahya outlined three essential pillars of MWFAAN as membership, funding, and community creation, aimed at fostering women’s success and acknowledging their meaningful contributions to society.
Membership helps women succeed. Funding; a lot of women will tell you that they are over-trained and under-funded. Even though there is funding, especially for women accessing it is usually a problem. Women must have the right support in their lives so they can be able to thrive, and create community; that’s why we are here today and we are celebrating women by giving them awards because we believe in telling women we recognize the impact that they are making is very important to our society.
“Women need policies that are very inclusive and diverse, we have a lot of women living with disability and they are not getting the support that they need when it comes to hospitals and getting a sign interpreter about what they are saying. I think it’s important if we look at all this holistically. Let’s involve everybody, Government, community leaders, and religious leaders. Everyone needs to have their hands on deck because women make up the majority of the population,” she noted.
Yahya unveiled MWFAAN’s initiatives, including the eFunds project aimed at empowering young Nigerians and state coordination projects supporting women in various regions. MWFAAN also recognized individuals with awards for their outstanding contributions to their communities and sectors.
MWFAAN, a non-profit organisation consisting of more than 570 Mandela Washington Fellows, receives support from the US Embassy in Abuja, the US Consulate in Lagos, and the US Department of State in Washington DC. The organisation is committed to promoting positive transformation, empowering young people, and enhancing leadership development in Nigeria.