In line with the Renewed hope mantra of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to reposition women in governance and decision-making in the country, the Hon Dr Asabe Vilita Bashir, the Director-General of Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development in collaboration with UN Women and with the support of the Canadian High Commission has commenced a two-day capacity building for honourable commissioners from the 36 states of the country including the FCT as part of the second phase of the MBNCWD/UN WOMEN project on resource centres for Women in governance and decision-making in Nigeria.
It was a landmark achievement for the Centre as the Director-General delivered her welcome address during the opening ceremony of the two-day conference organised for the thirty-six commissioners of women’s affairs today at the Banquet Hall in the Centre.
Speaking, the MBNCWD boss was amazed at the turnout of the commissioners and stated that in the initial phase of the endeavour that commenced in 2022, a Centre was established, and two more centres were inaugurated in Calabar and Maiduguri in 2023 to provide resources for women in politics.
According to her, it was discovered that during the implementation of the project, it became apparent that the name ‘’ Resource Centres for Women in Politics’’ had limitations, she said.
She, therefore reiterated that in the current phase, these centres have been rebranded as Resource Centres for Women in Governance and Decision-making to reflect a broader focus on empowering women to assume leadership roles and amplifying their voices in Nigeria.
Dr Bashir stated that despite comprising half of our population, women occupy a disproportionately small percentage of leadership positions in government, business, and civil society in Nigeria. Data from 2015 to July 2024 has revealed these concerning statistics regarding women in governance and decision-making roles across various states, while some states have made commendable progress, others are yet to commit to this cause therefore making the disparity not only lack equity but also impeding on the collective advancement and prosperity of women in Nigeria.
She, therefore, was very thankful to UN Women, who seek to revitalise existing centres to enhance user-friendliness and accessibility. The Centre aspires to scale up the establishment of additional resource centres in all federation states.
In her goodwill message, the UN Women country representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Beatrice Eyong was represented by the deputy country representative, Mr Zaphania Aura who said that the country may not have recorded huge gains in recent years but has gradually made progress and should not take the foot off the gas since the violence against persons prohibition(VAPP)Act 2015, the national agency for the prohibition of trafficking in persons(NAPTIP), the national gender policy and the elevation of women empowerment(Social Inclusion and Political Empowerment) are the top priority areas in the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration. He, therefore, congratulates all who have taken deliberate steps to make Nigeria a place where women and girls feel safe to be mentored for growth and achieve their full potential.
According to him, ‘’UN Women will continue to invest in enhancing personal resilience and professional development of women to increase their contribution in leadership, economic growth, peace, security and in humanitarian nexus, he said’’.
He further, assured that UN Women believe investing in women equals investing in the architecture of society since no nation can develop and prosper if women are excluded in the scheme of things.
In her goodwill message, the acting head of cooperation, the Canadian High Commission stated that the conference has afforded her the opportunity to gain experience and create a positive environment for women ahead of the 2027 general election.
In her words, ‘’ by working together, we can ensure women, including young women and women with disability have the support and opportunity they need to succeed, she stated.’’
The highlight of the event was the group photograph with the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Hon. Barr.Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, the Director-General, (MBNCWD) Hon Dr Asabe Vilita Bashir, the Deputy Country Rep of UN Women, the representative of the Canadian High Commission to Nigeria, Ms Likezo Karn and the thirty-six state commissioners of women affairs.
Nnamdi Iwuchukwu
Head, Press/Public Relations Unit
