The wife of the Anambra State Governor, Dr. Nonye Soludo, has reaffirmed that human rights remain sacred, inviolable, and essential to building a more inclusive and equitable society.

Dr. Soludo made the assertion on Wednesday in a statement marking the 2025 World Human Rights Day, observed globally every December 10.

Speaking on this year’s theme, ‘Let’s Stand for Equality, Freedom, and Dignity for All,’ Dr. Soludo stressed that every individual—regardless of creed, culture, race, belief, politics, or gender, deserves full recognition of their humanity and fair treatment.

“Human rights are as sacred as the values they uphold. Every human being deserves the right to live, to safety, to succeed, and to thrive without fear or inhibition,” she said.

Dr. Soludo, who also founded the Nonye Soludo Healthy Living Initiative, noted that respect for human rights forms the bedrock of any just and progressive society. She emphasised that everyday interactions shape the strength and character of communities.

“Our lives depend greatly on how we treat one another. We must look beyond differences in race, background, gender, and belief systems,” she said. “Our unique identities should unite us rather than divide us. No one deserves to live in a society marked by fear, alienation, or extremism.”

Reiterating the non-negotiable nature of human dignity, the Anambra First Lady insisted that fairness and equality must remain core values.

“Everyone, no matter their cultural, political, or religious differences, deserves full human dignity and fairness. These rights are not negotiable,” she affirmed.

Dr. Soludo’s message echoes the global spirit of Human Rights Day, which commemorates one of the world’s most enduring commitments to freedom, equality, and universal human rights.

Stakeholders have reiterated call for stronger policies, sustained funding and collective action to advance the rights of women and girls in Nigeria.

The stakeholders made the call at the Beijing +30 Women’s Summit, in Abuja, as the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for action, adopted in 1995 focus on women’s empowerment, gender equality and sustainable development, with a call to action for global progress.

The stakeholders said that systemic barriers, policies and underfunding had slowed progress toward gender equity.

They said that urgent reform was needed to ensure that women can fully participate in national decision-making.

Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said that Nigerian women possessed enormous potential but were held back by disunity, under-investment, and structural barriers.

Economic Empowerment

Sulaiman-Ibrahim said that economic empowerment was a critical pathway to financially stable women, reducing vulnerability, enabling participation in decision-making and supporting children’s education.

“When women have money, they can achieve anything. Financially empowered women are better positioned to resist domestic abuse, support their families, and engage meaningfully in politics,” she said.

On legislative reforms, the Minister expressed concern about the proposed reserved-seats bill for women, warning that poor design could put women against one another and undermine progress.

She, therefore called for strategic consensus-building and Intentional negotiation.

‎Drawing on lessons from China, she highlighted how intentional investment in women transformed outcomes for millions.

She also decried Nigeria’s absence in major continental and global gender platforms, urging women to show up and work collectively to secure representation.
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‎She said that Nigeria could not solve gender challenges without unity, honesty and shared ownership of reforms.

“The power of teamwork makes the dream work,” she said.

She therefore called for intentional coalition-building, informed advocacy, and strategic negotiations to secure sustainable political representation for women.

A Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Olabisi Aina in her keynote address, said that Nigeria’s gender-equity efforts remained trapped in fragmented coordination, underfunding and data poverty.

Gender Responsive Policies

She emphasised the need for the Ministry of Women Affairs to drive gender-responsive policies across health, education, agriculture and planning, ensuring that government action advances women’s rights and inclusion.

Aina called for a transformative feminist governance model, driven by collaboration, justice, accountability and data.

“Feminist leadership is not about filling seats but reshaping the table and ensuring that women who enter governance understand the issues and can negotiate effectively.

‎“When a nation is directed only by the brains of men, can you say it is thinking in totality?,” she said.

She said: “Nigeria is lagging behind its African peers on women’s political epresentation, and this is a shame for a country considered the giant
of Africa.”
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‎She identified key pillars for progress, including intergenerational mentorship, gender-responsive budgeting, stronger GBV interventions, feminist data governance, and investment in knowledge production.

“How can you change the situation of women when you do not have data? Data is the engine of transformation,” she said.

The Chairperson, Nigeria Governors Spouses’ Forum and first Lady of Kwara State, Professor Olufolake AbdulRazaq, reaffirmed commitment towards ending GBV, improving women’s rights, economic empowerment and participation in governance.

Earlier, Mrs Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Co-founder, Amandla Institute, highlighted the need to tackle Gender-Based Violence (GBV), noting progress in some states but highlighting the need for nationwide
accountability.

“The progress of African women since Beijing has been one of five steps forward and ten steps back.

“We have had to say the same thing over again to different audiences, or we make gains and our losses keep increasing,” she said.

She, therefore, stressed the need for conscientious efforts towards gender equality, women’s rights, ending GBV and shaping the post-Beijing gender agenda.

Other activities include panel discussion on “Recalling Beijing 1995 (Looking Back)” and “Intergenerational Dialogue (Marching Forward).

The summit was organised by the Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement in collaboration with the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN-Nigeria) and Womanifesto.

The summit, ended with a shared call for transformative feminist governance to address persistent inequality and accelerate meaningful change for Nigerian women.

Lateefah Ibrahim

A public relations expert and fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Saadu Salahu, has stressed the urgent need for the federal government, particularly lawmakers, to review Nigeria’s copyright law to prevent unpatriotic elements from misusing artificial intelligence (AI) in exacerbating sensitive security issues.

He commended both federal and state governments for their efforts at securing life and property across the country.

Salahu, a senior adviser and counsellor to the Kwara State governor, made the call in a lecture themed “Professionalism and Synergy in Public Relations Practice,” which he presented at the 2025 get-together dinner organised by the Kwara State chapter of the NIPR in Ilorin, the state capital.

The guest lecturer said evidence of social media abuse and misapplication of AI with negative consequences were the reasons some countries took legal steps to strike a balance between free speech, public good, and national security.

He cited Denmark, Australia, and a few European Union nations as examples of countries that had made legislation to check abuse of social media and AI.

Salahu urged the government to engage AI experts in combating insecurity by developing AI-powered solutions to further support government efforts to improve public safety.

He added that governments must curb the criminal use of technology, including AI and social media, regulate social media, and educate influencers on responsible use, stressing that security, being the responsibility of all, demanded patriotism from citizens.

“Misinformation, disinformation, and fake news constitute part of serious dangers to current insecurity in the country,” he emphasised.

The NIPR Fellow reminded professional public relations practitioners of the need to measure up to global standards set by the Institute.

“Expectedly, we are and must be seen as professional public relations practitioners in a management capacity for the good of our employer and the public or publics,” Salahu stressed.

He added that they needed in-depth knowledge and skills in cutting-edge technologies such as AI, social media monitoring, content management systems, and crisis-management software to remain reputable professionals.

Salahu used the forum to thank and commend the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq, for allowing him and many of his colleagues to be part of his leadership since 2019.

“He has made us extremely proud by being the first governor to have appointed the greatest number of media practitioners into enviable positions in his administration.

“It is on record that the governor has been rightly rated by credible local and international organisations and experts as the best governor in transparency and accountability, good governance, education, health, socio-economic and infrastructural transformation, poverty alleviation, youth and women inclusion in governance, peace and security, urban renewal, and ease of doing business.

“Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq’s investment in digital literacy to empower students and youths in the state to fit into leadership positions in the digital economy is quite inspiring and commendable.

“Similarly, outcomes of the pace-setting but just-concluded summit on Artificial Intelligence in Kwara State consolidate Kwara’s leadership position in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.” He explained.

In her remarks, a ranking member of the National Council of the NIPR, Prof. Saudat AbdulBaki, highlighted the achievements of the Ike Neliaku-led Council in repositioning the NIPR as a global professional body.

AbdulBaki, who is the Dean of the Faculty of Mass Communication at the University of Ilorin, urged members of the Kwara State chapter to sustain their participation in NIPR programmes and activities lined up for 2026.

PIAK