Women Business network advocates policy change for property rights

The Association of Nigerian Women Business Network (ANWBN), has rolled out an advocacy for interventions in Housing development and policy change in property rights for women so as to bring about their freedom from cultural, religious and financial barriers hindering them from owning property.

A wide gap occasioned by cultural believe that the woman’s place is in the kitchen and not to drag Property Rights Ownership with their male counterparts has been limiting their capacity to own properties.

A communique Presented by the Advocacy Committee Chairperson, Mrs. Olakitan Wellington after a one day conference on property rights for women in Abuja recently urge women to continue the movement for Women equality by seeing the Occupy NASS project to a logical end.
The communique hinted that soon women will sponsor a bill for their right in property matters to be put in place.
That it explained will enable Business Development activities for women to be put in place to ensure that women have the economic capacity to own properties.
The communique also advocated for more women to be encouraged to own properties, to increase their ability to present collateral which is key to obtaining loans to build their businesses.

It also harped on the need for women to be properly educated on the property rights, property market and their interactions. 

“This will enable people to know the issues, challenges, opportunities and solutions.

The communique called for an amendment in the Constitution of the country to reflect as much protection as possible for women

“Women should be educated on what the constitution says about their rights.”

She said they will advocate for implementation of the laws in the country. 

“Our problem is not really about the absence of laws or regulations, but their implementation. 

“We therefore need to advocate for implementation of laws, even when they are made.

“Advocacy and Education should be taken seriously by all the associations.

The ANWBN which is a Coalition of 63 Women Business Organisations asked each of the Associations to work towards breaking the social norms passed on to the generation of girls which limits their abilities

They called for the development of women Information centres across all the states of the federation.

The communique also reiterated the importance of documentations which it said should be taken seriously by all women. “At whatever level you own property, proper documentation should be in place, to forestall future challenges.

On the gender bills which could not see the light of day at the national Assembly they said they have penned  down the names of all National Assembly lawmakers that voted against the Gender bills and have therefore resolved not to return such lawmakers.

The ANWBN said; “We are coming to the point where the Nigerian women will declare that no women no vote”. 

National Coordinator of the Women’s Network, Mrs Modupe Oyekunle, said the conference created opportunities for the women to critically consider issues of high rate inequality, gender inequality, power, access to finance for women in business, issues of road network for easy distribution of goods and services among others. 

Oyekunle also said the coalition used the occasion topresent a document on property rights of women in Nigeria to expose the stakeholders to the problems and its impact on the society. 

According to her; “In Nigeria we have so many communities where women do not have rights to farm, talk more of building. These are few ways the rights of women to property are hindered.” 

She stressed that equality for the coalition is not requesting for the positions of men rather it – is giving the women their place of priority in the affairs of the country and precisely in the areas of decision making. 

She said, “We obviously need to find possible solution to address these salient problems”.