While Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate this year's International Women's Day, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked legislators to approve all gender laws pending before them to improve women's rights in the country.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, the executive secretary of the commission, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, San said that there is a need for processable measures to promote safe spaces for all women, since the efforts of creation and defense of consciousness are not enough to achieve the desired results.
He said that, despite the efforts of the Nigerian government and other actors to promote laws and policies that support the inclusion and safeguard of women's rights in the past, there is still a wide gap between politics and implementation.
This, said the Chief of the NHRC, makes Nigeria's trip to gender equality a mere fallacy, especially with the remarkable decrease in political representation and governance of women with each election year, thus closing women outside the positions where important decisions are made regarding their well -being and well -being.
“The affirmative action of 35 percent is gradually becoming a difficult task to achieve for Nigerian women and a mere mirage,” he said and yet praised the federal government for some of the laudable initiatives to relieve poverty among women.
He requested proactive steps to ensure that women's rights are improved and protected, adding that a strong defense of policies is needed to ensure that women's voices are amplified and their protected rights.
In his words, “together, let's fight for a future where every woman in Nigeria, all girls, mother and leader can prosper. We must dismantle the barriers that hinder progress through our renewed commitment to raise silenced voices, especially women ”,
In her message of goodwill, Mrs. Nnenna Emedolibe, who represented the National Council for Women, the Society of Women ignored economic empowerment for women.
Regina Edzuwah, who spoke on behalf of women in mining in Nigeria, said that women's strength is the ability to transform opportunities into realities.
She said that the issue of this year's celebration, “for all women: rights, equality, empowerment,” is a call to action for all in an authority position, adding that “together we move to improve the lives of women through economic empowerment.”
He praised the leadership of the NHRC for facilitating the signing of an understanding memorandum (MOU) for the protection of women in the mining industry.
The most prominent aspects of the event include prizes for distinguished women who have contributed to the development of women in the country.