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A human right activist and President, Women Arise for Change Initiative, WACI, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin says no meaningful development and progress can be achieved by any nation that ignores gender equality.
She spoke in Enugu on Tuesday 24, September 2019 at the big ideas podium organised by the African Heritage Institution.
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While presenting a paper on the theme of the conference “Gender Disparity and Under-Development in Nigeria”, Okei-Odumakin urged governments at all levels to provide adequate and equal opportunities for women to realise their innate potentials.
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According to her, obvious discrimination against the womenfolk will not end without proper education of women, establishment of gender equity commission, equal political representation and decision-making as well as end to violence against women and trafficking.
“There need to be a legislative body to monitor due compliance of gender commitments by the state governments including 35% women representation at all levels in line with national policy”
“Adult women account for almost half of all human trafficking victims detected globally, girls representing two out of every three child trafficking case”.
she maintained that gender-balancing in leadership will serve as veritable catalyst for development stressing that it will make the society look wealthier, improve freedom, strengthen families, improve democracy, promote peace and reduce violence.
“Lack of education has been a strong visible barrier to female participation in the formal sector. The social pressures on females such as early marriage and other extraneous factors as well as consideration of female education as secondary to that of boys and certain inhibitive religious practices are the major causes of the high illiteracy rate amongst women”, she said.
A discussant, Mrs Angela Gbanite bemoaned the numerous challenges militating against women in the society.
She advocated involvement of all stakeholders in policy formulation and decision-making processes.
Another discussant Cromwell Chibuzo views inequality as one of the major causes of crisis in Nigeria and in the West Africa sub region.
He opined that gender imbalance is antithetical nation building, and cohesion, stressing that a skewed political system cannot guarantee service delivery.
Earlier in an opening remark, the Executive Director, Afri-Heritage Institution, Professor Ufo Okeke-Uzodike expressed worry over Nigeria’s rating in the global gender gap report saying that development cannot be attained if the minority and women are excluded in decision- making.
He said Nigeria as a state party to numerous human rights documents but lacked the political will to mainstream issues associated with gender equality and human rights.
The big ideas podium is a platform for discourse on political, social and economic issues and proffer solutions.
Participants were drawn from national council of women societies, Enugu, international federation of women lawyers, civil society organizations, various agencies of government, scholars, among others.
