Stakeholders in the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE) have called for an overhaul of the constitution aimed at transforming the perspective of how women are mirrored in Nigerian society.
The event took place in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital with the theme “Breaking the Ceiling: Gender Mainstreaming, Public Policy and the Promotion of Gender Justice in Nigeria.”
The symposium featured forty participants drawn from the public sector, private sector and civil society to dialogue on the ways and means of advancing gender mainstreaming in all areas of public life.
The Lead presenter at the event, MsMsanre Shasore, Senior Special Assistant on Coordination & Planning, Office of Vice President of Nigeria,
In her presentation titled “Gender Mainstreaming, Public Policy and the promotion of Gender Justice” said to achieve gender equality, enforceable legislation needs to be put in place.
She added that until such legislation is deliberated on to close the gender gaps, the issue of gender equality will continue to be a challenge.
According to Shasore, “until there’s enforceable legislation that is gender-responsive in terms of their leadership structure as well as policies and practices women may remain limited. So any legislation that doesn’t support gender equality should not be passed into law,” he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Director-General of the National Centre for the Coordination of Early Warning and Response Mechanism, Chris Ngwodo said gender injustice is a human security vulnerability and gender equity is a crucial component of national resilience.
He said that in Nigeria, despite the appearance of equity, there are invisible obstacles that impede the full realisation of women’s political rights.
Ngwodo said it is for this reason that Nigeria’s National Security Strategy identifies the promotion of fostering the collective vitality of the society.
“Nigeria recognizes that development is endangered if it is not engendered. Therefore, gender sensitivity and security will be mainstreamed into public policy to create opportunities for the advancement of women’s and children’s rights as well as gender equality,” he gave the assurance
He added that it is imperative to engage women as agents of development to ensure social inclusion, sustainable peace and the security of all segments of society.
According to Him, the Strategy further sets as goals the influencing of “public policy through advocacy regarding new policies and laws on gender and related issues.
The promotion of equal career opportunities for women and men and guaranteeing equal pay for equal work and the creation of equality of access for women and men to political representation and participation.
“It was also to conceptualize policy measures aimed at accelerating and facilitating such trends where they advance gender justice and the attainment of development aspirations. To forge strategic coalitions and partnerships to drive advocacy and implementation of such policy measures through both governmental and non-governmental instrumentalities among other things,” he said.
Representative of the German Embassy – Uduak Abasi-Akpabio who decried the low number of women elected in the just concluded Nigerian elections said this highlights the need for action in the area of gender justice.
She stressed that the country’s development will be stalled as long as women are excluded from decision-making noting that the importance of having women included in policy and politics cannot be overemphasised. This needs to improve in Nigeria.
National Coordinator Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), Yetunde Adegoke, called for Mentoring and spousal support for young women in participating in gender dialogue and leadership roles in committees irrespective of cultural barriers.
Also, Esther Daramola of the ECOWAS Early Warning Directorate stressed a Gender-equitable education system and the inclusion of subjects that promote equal access and opportunity to Information in the school’s curriculum, especially in the early years of learning.
