Follow Us on Google
By Gabriel Dike
It was a gathering of who is who among Nigerian women led by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (UNILAG) 2024 Gender Conference as stakeholders demanded equal opportunities for women in all spheres of our political economy.
The conference with the theme: “Gender Equality at Crossroads: Pathways to Accelerating Progress”.
The event attracted the First Lady of Oyo State, Mrs. Olufunke Makinde, former First Lady of Ekiti State, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi, representatives of Lagos and Ogun First Ladies, wife of former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mrs. Mariam Uwais, representative of the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Kafilat Ogbara (chairman House Committee on Women Affairs), chairperson, Lagos State Police Officers Women Association (POWA), Mrs. Abiola Ishola, representative of UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ayodele Atsenuwa, Convener of the conference, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo, chairperson, Organising Committee, Prof. Iyabode Ogunniran and a host of other dignitaries.
Convener of the conference, Prof. Oyewo, said Nigeria faces numerous gender issues such as gender inequality, violence against girl-child/women, discriminatory employment practices, economic inequality, political exclusion, among others.
He revealed that on gender gap index, Nigeria ranked 123rd out of 146 countries in 2022, women earn 45 percent less than men in similar roles, women are unrepresented in politics with 21 out of 469 members of the National Assembly, and women account for 70 percent poverty rate.
The former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Oyo State said from the statistics, it is self-evident that Nigeria has a long way to go in bridging the gender inequality gap, thus the motivation for the 2024 conference.
Chairperson, Organising Committee, Prof. Ogunniran, stressed that the objectives of the conference is the creation of a platform to push the right narratives on the appropriate dimensions of gender-related issues.
She added: “Where then is Nigeria in the gender equality paradigm? This conference seeks to interrogate the Nigerian context from three perspectives; women and political participation; economic empowerment and gender-based violence.”
In her remarks, the First Lady of Oyo State, Mrs. Makinde, said the conference would serve as a platform to discuss discrimination against women and also find solutions to gender inequality.
She revealed that abuse on women and young children is on the increase, noting, “these are issues that have gingered the Wives of Governors Forum to advocate for gender equality.
“Top government officials are behind in the fight against gender imbalance in Oyo State. There is a need for us to pay attention to gender inequality. Women are discriminated against in all spheres of our lives. We need to support women empowerment.”
Makinde stressed that women are making efforts to participate in politics and encouraged men to support women participation in politics and also contest higher political positions during elections.
Lagos State First Lady, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, urged stakeholders at the conference to champion the issue of gender equality in the country. She insisted that women be given equal opportunities in all spheres of our lives.
Dr. Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Mrs. M. Mustapha, acknowledged the role of women in national development and expects the conference to change the narrative on gender inequality.
Ogun State First Lady, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun, described the theme of the conference as vital to the progress of Nigerian women and disclosed that there are laws against gender abuses and that only Ogun and Lagos States are doing well in that area.
Mrs. Abiodun further acknowledged that women are doing well in several fields but are poor in political participation. She admitted that the low participation in politics requires urgent attention.
Other News
In her contributions, Ekiti State former First Lady, Mrs. Fayemi, said, “we cannot be tired of talking about discrimination against Nigerian women and girls in many areas of our national life.”
Mrs. Fayemi urged stakeholders to be serious about the gender issues and work towards addressing the several discriminations against women.
In his message to the conference, the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, described the theme of the conference as apt and sought collaboration to tackle the gender inequality against women.
Kalu, who was represented by the House Chairman on Women Affairs, Hon. Fafliat Ogbara, urged the gathering to also address the problems facing young girls in the country.
Said he: “Out of over 50,000 candidates in 2023 the general elections presented by 18 political parties, only 1,000 were women. There is a proposed Bill to reserve seats for women in the National and State Assemblies.
“Government and civil societies must break the barrier against gender inequality. Political parties must encourage women participation in politics.”
Chairperson of POWA, Lagos State and wife of the Commissioner of Police, Mrs.Ishola, admitted the urgent need to address gender inequality in the country.
Ishola, who represented the wife of the Inspector General of Police, appealed to the conference to champion discriminations against women and girls in several areas, stating, “we must raise our voices against gender inequality.”
Vice chairperson, Organising committee, Prof. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, told the gathering that the conference is an up shoot of what the Faculty of Law represents.
“The gender equality issue touches the sole of the nation. The conference will address the question of our humanness.It is not about women’s talk shows. It is a serious conference to address issues affecting our women in the country,” she noted.
Vice Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, said gender inequality has been identified as a major roadblock to women having equal opportunities in the society.
Ogunsola, who was represented by the Deputy VC (Development Services), Prof. Ayodele Atsenuwa, said some federal lawmakers are participants in the conference and with the ongoing review of the Constitution; they should include laws that would make women relevant in the scheme of things.
According to her, the conference would set an agenda on how to address gender inequality.
In her address, the First Lady, Senator Tinubu, acknowledged that there is still a long way to go in achieving equality between men and women in the country several areas.
Senator Tinubu, who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant in the Presidency, Marima Obadina, said Nigerian women are still struggling to achieve their dreams and that one major area is their low participation in politics.
The first lady disclosed that despite the low participation in politics, women occupy key positions in businesses, stressing, “women can chart a new path for progress in Nigeria.”
Senator Tinubu encouraged women not to wait for opportunities but create them and take advantage of the opportunities.
