The United Nations (UN) has commended the Nigerian women’s drive for economic development.
The UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, made the commendation at the weekend in Abuja when she received a delegation from the national leadership of the Women Wing of the Christian Association of Nigerian (WOWICAN).
According to her, involving non-governmental agencies and having other interreligious partnerships for women empowerment was a wise decision to grow an association and the country at large.
She noted that interrelationships between religious groups also promote peace in the nation and enhance growth and development.
“Partnering traditional rulers and getting to the grassroots is very necessary for effective and efficient services, child education, challenges in capacity building and cooperative management, personal hygiene are critical and would be looked into. The women in Nigeria have been productive which is driving development,” she said.
She urged the women not to allow their children and wards to get involved in electoral violence and malpractices such as rigging, vote buying and selling which have a long term negative effects on the society.
She said that the UN Women had developed a new five-year plan from 2023 to 2027, known as “Our Strategic Notes,” adding that the plan was done in a unique way.
“We went round the six geo political zones and had town hall meetings; we met with the women and ensured they spoke out, expressing themselves. They told us what they wanted, how they wanted it and why. We seek to know the issues and how they could be curbed, ” she said, adding that a holistic involvement programme which was multifaceted, multidimensional was developed as women’s needs are not the same and thus should be captured as presented by affected persons.
Eyong also said that her office had collaboration with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and other relevant agencies on how to tackle gender issues.
She said that the UN Women would partner them in all they had listed for empowerment and curbing gender based issues as it concerned national development.
Also speaking, Programme Specialist, Women’s Leadership and Participation, Osalobo Osemhenjie, said women involvement and participation was critical as the general elections approach.
Earlier, the National President of the Women Wing of CAN, Deaconess Victoria Ihesiulor, while commending the UN Women, stressed that they had come to seek for partnership in women development programmes.
She sought for continuous assistance by the UN Women in gender equality globally, women’s empowerment and the girl-child education.
“Our education programmes have helped out over 5,000 vulnerable families with educational materials, as well as adult literacy for educationally disadvantaged single mothers who are victims of rapes or had been abandoned.
“We have equally helped 3,500 educationally disadvantaged mothers to read and write at the basic levels,” she said.
Other areas she listed include economic empowerment to address challenges of capacity in business management for women.
The women also specially invited the UN Women representative to their national convention coming up in October in Enugu State.
She said WOWICAN has a membership strength of over 48 million women and girls across Nigeria.
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