From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Executive Director, Gender Strategy Advancement International (GSAI), Mrs Adaora Onyechere Jack, has advocated for more participation of women in governance in the country.
Mrs Jack made this call at a One-day Capacity Building Workshop for Reporters and Editors organised by GSAI yesterday in Abuja.
GSAI is a women-led non-profit organisation working in the area of women’s rights, equal opportunity for women, increased women’s participation in governance and leadership, increased gender-friendly policies, increased visibility for women, and advancement of women’s voices in the civic space.
Jack lamented that out of the ten Special Advisers so far appointed by the present administration, only two were women, adding that women constitute only 4% in both upper and lower Chambers of the National Assembly.
She further added that efforts must be intensified to change the narrative, if not, the rights of women would become obsolete in Nigeria.
The keynote speaker, Assistant Director, Programmes, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Ololade Adeniji-Adele said, there is a need for gender-responsive budgeting to address the huge gender inequalities and disparities that exist in budgetary decisions.
Adeniji-Adele added that gender-responsive budgeting is an approach that will ensure government budgets consider the different needs and priorities of women and men.
“In simple terms, gender-responsive budgeting means looking at how money is allocated and spent by the government and making sure that it takes into account the specific needs and concerns of women and men,” she said.