Gbajabiamila, Aisha Buhari, Sanwo-Olu, harp on women empowerment for nation-building

Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; wife of the president, Mrs Aisha Buhari; Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazak and his Ogun State counterpart, Prince Dapo Abiodun on Tuesday stressed the need to adequately empower women to contribute positively to the arduous task of nation-building.

They all made the call while speaking at the 19th National Women’s Conference of the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) held in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, Hon. Gbajabiamila, pointedly declared that women were born to influence the society, saying that what this suggested was about empowerment of women.

The speaker, who reflected on agitation for 30per cent women representation in government, said one of the ways to empower women was through education, even as he promised to champion a constitutional amendment to remove impediment against women in the country.

“Women are born to influence societies. What this is about is the empowerment of women. We have all heard about 30 per cent. The question is how do we empower women? I believe education is the first step to empowering women,” he said.

According to Gbajabiamila, it is high time the constitution is amended to accommodate whatever percentage need without necessarily discriminating against any particular sex, saying that part of the constitution that captures federal character could be amended by the National Assembly to include gender balance and avoid discrimination.

“As I said earlier, some people talked about 30per cent and when you talk about 30per cent and I identified certain constitutional impediments which many women may not understand. There are constitutional impediments when we talk about 30per cent. Our thought is I will champion the amendment of those constitutional impediments.”

Mrs Buhari, who was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, in her remark, said bringing about positive change was not negotiable in the country, urging the wives of political officers saddled with the responsibility to use their positions to transform the society.

“It, therefore, important one gets an orientation on how to optimize this opportunity. These I believe is the focus of this conference,” she said.

The First Lady charged the women to prioritize the welfare of the vulnerable members the society, including the children, disabled, elderly that required protection and empowerment, saying many projects were being run by women across the country to positively influence and affect their lives.

“Many projects are being run by people like us across the country to positively influence and affect their lives,” she remarks.

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Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who is the host of the conference, noted that the theme of this year’s conference: “Unlearn, Learn and Relearn: 21st Century Women’s T.H.E.M.E.S Perspectives and Approach,” would impart knowledge to all the participants.

He added that such knowledge would enable them to contribute more effectively to the collective goal of building and delivering the Lagos they deserve.

The governor added that imparting knowledge was not only about adding new knowledge but also about reminding one of the old and unchanging truths.

“Imparting knowledge is not only about adding new knowledge, which is the learning, but also about reminding ourselves of old and unchanging truths, which is the re-learning,” he said.

Earlier, the Chairperson of COWLSO, Dr Mrs Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, said the committee also keyed into the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda of the state government, which stands for Traffic Management and Transportation; Health and Environment; Education and Technology and making Lagos a 21st Century Economy.

“As we all know, is the developmental agenda of the present administration which stands for Traffic Management and Transportation; Health and Environment; Education and Technology; Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy; Entertainment and Tourism; as well as Security and Governance.

“As women, we must strategically position ourselves to take full benefit of the programmes of government. To unlearn means to do away with habits that are outdated and as well jettison practices that are against the public good and public safety.’’

“In this 21st Century, women must also embrace new ideas and new innovations to be relevant. Women must learn to think outside the box and even go a step further to think without the box, to fit into modern society. Recently, the state government launched a couple of programmes in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S agenda in strategic sectors including Health, Environment, Agriculture, Education, and investment opportunities for entrepreneurs. For instance, in the area of ensuring a sustainable environment, the state government launched the Blue Box Programme aimed at deepening waste sorting from the source. Our women stand to benefit a lot from this policy in the area of huge opportunities for job creation,” she said.

“The initiative is also designed to achieve cleaner, healthier, sustainable and livable environment. Also, the state government launched N4billion through the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSSTF), to empower Lagosians with ingenious business ideas, and in line with the philosophy of giving opportunities to women, 50 per cent of the beneficiaries have been listed to be women, while another 10,000 farmers in the State are to benefit from $200million World Bank facility to be disbursed in partnership with the State Government under the Agro-Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support Project (APPEALS).

“Out of the 10,000 beneficiaries, 35 per cent have been earmarked to be women, while 10 per cent would go to people with disabilities and youths. These and many more are the initiatives our women can plug into to be empowered economically,” she added.