NAWOJ Summit: Women Empowerment crucial to tackling hardships – Speakers
Empowerment of women has been described as the only way to tackle hardship occasioned by the economic crisis which impedes the development of the country.
This, if done, would thereby eradicate poverty and set the pace for national development of the country.
These were the submission of the Women Summit organized by the ‘B’ Zone of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, held at the NUJ Press Center, Alagbaka, Akure the Ondo state capital.
The occasion which had in attendance; NAWOJ leadership from Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, Lagos, Ogun including Ondo and other stakeholders also called for more participation of women in leadership roles which they argued is important in policy making .
An APC Governorship, aspirant, Dr. Waheed Funmilayo Adekojo, represented by Engr Clement Ibi, said empowerment of women is human rights imperative which is a cornerstone of democratic governance.
Adekojo who presented a paper titled: Women’s Perspective and Priorities in Policy Making: A pathway to inclusive Governance,
affirmed the importance of empowering women in all spheres of the society as she observed that gender equality is not a moral imperative, but a prerequisite for achieving sustainable development, peace and prosperity.
“When women are empowered economically, socially and politically ,the entire community would thrive.
According to her, increasing women’s participation in decision making process leads to more effective governance, better allocation of resources and greater emphasis on social welfare programmes.
Dr. Adekojo explained that harnessing the power of women’s perspectives, could create policies that will be more equitable and just for additional effective and sustainable in the long run .
She urged people to support women who have taken the bold step to venture into politics with the aim of bringing women’s perspectives and priorities to the forefront of political landscape.
She called for the urgent need of empowering women from the grassroots in other to improve the economy of the nation.
“It is long overdue for women to have a chance to prove themselves in this country because on many occasions where women led the frontline, you could see productivity, you could see what they could offer.
Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Olawunmi Fayemi in her presentation, observed serious decline in the rate of women participation on leadership positions asserting that women need to get involved to get things working.
She charged stakeholders to begin to divert their advocacy back to the foundation, stressing the need for Women to be strong in bringing out the inner power in them and start advocating correctly.
She encouraged people to take the decision of giving a woman a chance to push forward all that is in her, saying that whatever man is able to exhibit is a talent which was nurtured in the womb of a woman.
In her address, the Vice President Southwest B zone, Comrade Adeola Adekunle noted the key role women play in addressing various menace in the society.
Adekunle said the theme was chosen because women political leadership is crucial for inclusive policy making, reflecting diverse perspectives, priorities and the needs.
” To fosters equity, address gender disparities and announce government effectiveness, women encounter various obstacles including discriminatory practices unequal access to resources, limited funding for campaigns, societal expectations that prioritize male leadership.
“Overcoming these challenges require concerted efforts to dismantle what we call systematic barriers.
Hence, we need to promote gender inclusive policies”, she reiterated.
The Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa represented by his Chief Press Secretary, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan who declared the event open, applauded the initiative of the women Journalists across the southwest for the summit and pledges government’s continuous support for them.
He added, that Mr Governor has assured that his administration will continue to be media-friendly and that all professionals in the State will continue enjoy the freedom to practice without government’s interference, while also urging them to uphold the ethics of their profession.
Governor Aiyedatiwa, however, congratulated the Ondo State chapter of NAWOJ, headed by Tola Gbadamosi, and the National Vice Chairman, Adeola Adekunle, on the successful hosting of the zonal conference in Akure.
A National leader of NAWOJ, Mrs Adesola Jacobs in her remarks, encouraged women to take leadership roles for a better society.
Also, the State Chairman, Comrade Adeleke Adegbite appreciated women for their endless service and to keep up the good work to attain their expectations.
Earlier in her welcome speech, the Ondo State Chairman of NAWOJ, Comrade Tola Gbadamosi, appreciated the women for creating time to attend the Summit which she said would be taken back to those who were not at the summit.
