NationalUpdate Woman
IWD: NAWOJ tasks North-Central Govs, FCT Minister on more investment in women
The Vice President, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), North Cenral Zone, Comrade Chizoba Ogbeche, has tasked state governors in the North-Central, as well as the Minister of the FCT, to invest more in women to accelerate progress towards protection of the rights of women and gender parity.
This she said is expedient and indtructive as Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark the 2024 International Women’s Day (IWD)
The Vice President, in a press statement on Thursday in Abuja, said the charge was in line with the United Nations theme for this year’s celebrations: “Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress.”
Ogbeche noted that women’s economic empowerment, especially in the face of worsening economic situation in the country, was a sure route towards accelerating the achievement of gender equity.
According to her, “There is an urgent need for the governors of the North-Central states and the FCT minister to come up with sustainable social welfare schemes that would prioritise the needs of women, who are the burden bearers in the present economic down turn in the country.
“Deliberate and comprehensive efforts are needed in strengthening institutional frameworks and existing laws that gurantee women of the right to enjoy decent standard of living, food security, and nutrition, housing, quality healthcare and education.”
She recalled that the African Union Ministers responsible for Gender and Women’s Affairs at a consultative meeting in preparation for the 68th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), on November 14, 2023 focused on the priority theme: “Accelerating the Achievement of Gender Equality and the Empowerment of all Women and Girls by Addressing Poverty and Strengthening Institutions and Financing with a Gender Perspective.”
The meeting was aimed at building consensus on strategies and actions for ensuring that African women and girls were not left behind by development policies, processes and institutions aiming to eradicate poverty, reform the financial system and strengthen development institutions.
The meeting harped on the fact that poverty and inequality required deliberate and systematic social, political, and economic policies and measures, by governments and all other stakeholders.
“Women’s poverty can be understood as a process of deprivation and depletion
shaped by structural inequalities in the household, labour market, and state institutions, and exacerbated by women’s experience of compounded
discrimination.
“It deprives women of the right to enjoy a decent standard of living, food security and nutrition, housing, quality healthcare and education. The disproportionate amount of care and domestic work performed by women limits their time, access to decent work, quality education and health care.
“This deprivation can also be seen in women’s unequal access to land and productive assets, finance, and in the restriction of their ability to participate fully and meaningfully and be included in policy decision making processes, including
on issues of financing,” communique at the end of the meeting declared.
While pointing out that collective action is needed to make the IWD impactful, she tasked the leadership of the Association in the North-Central to endeavour to organise activities, especially sensitisation and enlightenment campaigns, to mark the Day.
The Jigawa state Civil Society Scaling-up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has urged the state government to domesticate the federal law extending maternity leave from three to six months.
Chairman of the group Comrade Shuaibu Musa Kafingana made the appeal at a policy dialogue on paid maternity leave extension.
He cited the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) recommendations.
“Exclusive breastfeeding for six months is crucial for a child’s health,” Kafingana emphasized.
The extended leave according to him is aimed at Supporting work-life balance and job security for nursing mothers adsibg that it will allow mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding for six months.
Explaining further he said it will provide adequate time for physical and emotional recovery after childbirth
The group’s advocacy is seeking to prioritize the health and well-being of nursing mothers and their children in Jigawa State.
By Friday Idachaba
VOWE Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to advancing the education and empowerment of women and girls in Nigeria has unveiled 20 winners of the 2nd edition of the Sophie Uzodimma Onovo Women Undergraduate Scholarship.
In a statement released on Monday in Abuja, the Foundation revealed that the 20 exceptional female final-year students who scaled the hurdle to clinch the award are to enjoy provision of full tuition and other educational expenses for their final year of study.
The statement said that the awardees were selected from educational tertiary institutions in Enugu and Imo states.
It said that the 2024 prestigious scholarship award marked a significant step in the Foundation’s resolve to foster educational opportunities and empower the next generation of women leaders.
The scholarship, which is being generously funded by the founder of VOWE Foundation, Mrs Sophie Uzodimma Onovo, is designed to support female students education in tertiary institutions.
The award is to alleviate financial barriers confronting the students and empower them to pursue their academic goals through provision of full tuition and other educational expenses for the final year of study.
Speaking on the importance of the scholarship, Mrs Sophie Uzodimma Onovo stated, “Education is the cornerstone of personal and societal growth” adding that it also enables the recipients to focus on their studies without financial worries.
“It marks a significant step in our commitment to fostering educational opportunities and empowering the next generation of women leaders.
“By investing in the education of these young women, we are not only helping them achieve their dreams but also contributing to the future of our communities”, she said.
Onovo who is also founder of the VOWE Foundation said the non-profit making body is committed to supporting women, “especially those in underserved communities, to reach their full
potential.”
She said that the selection process for this year’s scholarship was highly competitive, with numerous applications from talented and dedicated female students.
Mrs Onovo held that the 20 chosen beneficiaries demonstrated exceptional academic performance, leadership potentials, and a strong commitment to community service.
Among the 20 awardees, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) has 7; Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), 4; Imo State University (IMSU), 3 and Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), 2.
Others are Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu (IMT), 1; Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, 2 and Federal Polytechnic Owerri, 1. (Ends)
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