As the global community celebrates the 2023 International Women’s Day (IWD), the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), has advocated for gender equality, saying that it holds the key to all-around National development in every Country.
The Executive Secretary of the commission Mr Anthony Ojukwu made this known in a press statement by his media aid Fatimah Agwai to mark International Women’s Day in Abuja.
Ojukwu pointed out that it is high time the issue of gender equality and gender inclusiveness defined the way the society is governed because it is obvious that gender discrimination usually comes with a lot of denials to the detriment of society as women with great talents and potential are neglected merely based on gender.
#InternationalWomansDay #IWD2023 pic.twitter.com/FGmu2s2zqi
— NHRC Nigeria (@NhrcNigeria) March 8, 2023
“However, women’s prudence in resource management and developmental skills cannot be overemphasized, therefore they unarguably remain the pillars of our future, given the enabling environment and opportunity; women have the potential to turn things around to make the world great and a better place for everyone to live in,” he said.
Going by the theme of this year’s commemoration, “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” the human rights Boss noted that, “Gender equality” is very apt considering the proven capacity of women in diverse fields of life such as medicine, pharmacy, digital technology, engineering and literature just to mention a few.
He said, entrenching the policy of affirmative action will not be a misplaced priority because it will provide the opportunity for those women who were hitherto relegated to the background in the so-called men’s world to spring surprises that will take society to greater heights.
Ojukwu explained that: “Nigerian women and other women elsewhere have on different occasions proven that they can perform excellently in drawing policies and making decisions that could turnaround the society; therefore they should be encouraged to unleash their best potentials for the development of the entire society.”
While condemning the inability of the National Assembly to pass landmark legislation on women during the constitutional reforms, Ojukwu called on the federal lawmakers to consider and pass the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill, CEDAW Domestication Bill and other bills supporting affirmative action as it has happened in other developing countries in Africa as it will reduce gender-based violations and legally equip women to challenge the inequalities confronting them including Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
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