Follow Us on Google
From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
As the world celebrated the 2023 International Women’s Day (IWD), the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chief Tony Ojukwu, SAN, has called on the National Assembly to pass the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill, CEDAW Domistication Bill and other bills supporting affirmative action.
Ojukwu who condemned the inability of the National Assembly to pass landmark legislation on women during the constitutional reforms said the passing of the bills into law will reduce gender-based violations and legally equip women to challenge the inequalities confronting them, including Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
The NHRC boss noted that gender equality holds the key to all-around development in every facet of society.
He said the time has come for the issue of gender equality and gender inclusiveness to define the way society is governed.
According to him, gender discrimination usually comes with a lot of denials to the detriment of society as women with great talents and potential are neglected merely on the basis of gender.
“However, women’s prudence in resource management and developmental skills cannot be overemphasized, therefore they unarguably remain the pillars of our future, given the enabling environment and opportunity; women have the potential to turn things around to make the world great and a better place for everyone to live in,” he stated.
Ojukwu stated that the theme of this year’s commemoration, “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality “Gender equality” is very apt considering the proven capacity of women in diverse fields of life such as medicine, pharmacy, digital technology, engineering and literature and several other fields.
“Therefore, entrenching the policy of affirmative action will not be a misplaced priority because it will provide the opportunity for those women who were hitherto relegated to the background in the so-called men’s world to spring surprises that will take the society to greater heights.
” Nigerian women and other women elsewhere have on different occasions proven that they can perform excellently in drawing policies and making decisions that could turnaround the society; therefore they should be encouraged to unleash their best potentials for the development of the entire society,” the NHRC boss added.
