Follow Us on Google
From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has disclosed that President Bola Tinubu will, on March 7, inaugurate a transparency and integrity brigade to monitor and ensure the safety of women and children against verbal and physical abuse.
Ohanenye stated this yesterday in Abuja, at a conference for commissioners of state ministries of women affairs organised by the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC), supported by the European Union and International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).
The theme of the event was “Critical Issues and Opportunities for Enhancing Rights, Protection and Justice for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities.”
Also, the minister, who lamented the low budgetary allocation to the women affairs ministry in the 2024 appropriation bill, assured that the present administration would not take issues concerning women for granted.
According to her, the women E-Market Portal will link up manufacturers, buyers, sellers and others in the marketing chain with a view to encouraging entrepreneurship, skill acquisition and self-reliance.
She said: “So, we are putting up measures and will be bringing on board the integrity brigade of which all commissioners for women affairs and traditional rulers are part of.
“These are some of the ways we want to save Nigeria. We cannot do this alone and women Affairs ministry cannot do this alone.
“We are asking for Nigerians to volunteer and join what we call integrity brigade. With this brigade, we will be able to fish out things that belong to women and children who are over 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population.
“If we take care of their problems, automatically, the nation will do well.
“On March 7, 2024, the President will be unveiling the integrity brigade, mobile courts, E-market portal for women and so many other things.
“After March 7, no more business as usual, you will see action. Nobody will leave a stone unturned. If you tamper with any woman or child, you will get the result.
“We are equally telling the women not to look for trouble because if they look for trouble they will not get support.
In addition, the Minister assured Nigerians that youths, women, vulnerable Persons With Disabilities will be strongly involved in all programmes of government.
The minister added: “We are also including Persons With Disabilities. I don’t discriminate and the president also does not discriminate. Let them check out the actions I and the commissioners of women affairs are taking, they will understand that this is not the Nigeria they used to know.
“Right now, even for you to adopt a Nigerian child, you must provide us with so many things and if you don’t keep in touch with us to know how a Nigerian child is faring, we will declare you wanted.
“So let the PWDs be rest assured that they will be treated like human beings. They’ve always been treated badly but now, the president have recognise them as human beings and nobody will maltreat them anymore.”
IDEA International Head of Programme, Danladi Plang, urged states to implement the Child’s Rights Act (CRA) and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) in order to curb any form of violence, especially gender-based violence.
Plang said the event was to draw attention to some of the key challenges that women, children and persons with disabilities in Nigeria face when they want to access justice system.
He said: “Whether is our belief, legal system, or whether it’s a woman that have been sexually assaulted, or whether it’s persons with disabilities, they all have challenges in terms of accessing justice.
“So the first thing is to draw attention to some of the challenges they face. And then the second one is also to present to the vulnerable people some of the opportunities that are available to them.
“It also goes to the issue of inclusion in the sense that these categories of persons are people that are really on the margins of our society. They are the ones that face SGBV in our communities. The point of call will be to ensure that these laws are passed, whether it’s a Child Rights Act or the VAPP act.”
On her part, Commissioner for Women Affairs, Akwa Ibom State, Ini Adiakpan, said that the era where women are neglected in decision making process was over.
Adiakpan who is the dean of Commissioners for Women Affairs, hailed the idea of establishing inclusive schools that is not exclusively for the disabled persons which she said will aid the fight against stigmatisation.
