IWD: Aisha Buhari, Others, Advocate Gender Parity
As the
country celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of
women, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha, has emphasized the need for
urgent action to accelerate gender parity.
Speaking at the 1st Daily Trust Women Summit
yesterday in Abuja, the first lady said the celebration is a continuous
historic struggle for the upliftment of women across the continent.
According to her, the theme for this year’s
celebration ‘Pledge for Parity’ is apt, saying: “It is a challenge to the world
leaders to take actions with special emphasis on the role of women leaders as
champion of gender parity.
“Let me put on record the achievement of my
initiative, ‘Future Assured’ through which I undertook to champion, advocate
and mobilize the cause of improving and
promoting the health status of those vulnerable and marginalized sections of
the population.
“It has therefore become imperative for all
stakeholders and government at all levels to rise to the global challenge by
ensuring the attainment of gender parity through the empowerment of women and
girls.” Aisha stated.
Delivering her keynote address, Minister of Women
Affairs and Social Development, Senator Aisha Alhassan, stated that globally,
the role of women in nation building has received recognition with intensified
effort by World Organizations and political leaders, advocating more women
participation in leadership, governance, peace, and global security.
Senator Alhassan explained further that women make
up half of the community, what affects them affects half the community directly
and the whole community indirectly since they are connected to the members of
the community as mothers, daughters, sisters, employers and employees of the
rest of the population.\
Also speaking, wife of the Senate President Mrs.
Toyin Saraki, opined that nothing will change in Nigeria unless we change the
way we treat women and girls in the country.
Women from all works of life gathered to
commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) in Abuja.
Nigerian women also maintained that the commemoration
of the day provided yet another opportunity for the country to reflect on the
condition of women with a view to improve their lives.
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