BY ANTHONY OCHELA, ABUJA
The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr. Tony Ojukwu, SAN, has insisted that respect for the rights of women is imperative to the progress, development and prosperity of any nation.
Dr. Ojukwu stated this on Thursday at the Commission’s headquarters during an event commemorating International Women’s Day 2025 with the theme, “Accelerate Action.” “For all women and girls, Rights, Equality and Empowerment”.
The Executive Secretary also urged legislators to pass all outstanding gender laws before them to enhance women’s rights.
He noted that at Nigeria’s current pace, it is caught up by the World Economic Forum, (WEF) Global, gender gap report 2022 which projected that gender parity may not be achieved for a further 132 years.
According to Dr. Ojukwu, “this staggering statistics should be a grave concern to all well meaning people all over the world.”
Dr. Ojukwu said despite efforts by government and others to promote laws and policies that support inclusion and safeguard of women’s rights in the past, there is still a wide gap between policy and implementation.
He said this situation is making Nigerians journey toward gender equality “a mere falacy.”
He said this is particularly noticeable with the “notable decrease in women’s political representation and governance with each election year, thereby shutting women out of positions where major decisions are taken concerning their welfare and well being.”
However, on the bright side, Dr. Ojukwu said, “we cannot ignore some laudable initiatives by the present government to alleviating poverty amongst women one of such is the ‘trader money which upgraded the businesses of a lot of market women across the country”
“we also applaud the efforts and leadership of some state governments especially Kwara State in promoting women’s rights by appointing a substantial number of them to appointive positions in governance, thereby enhancing our democracy.”
He emphasized that the commission has over the years supported women empowerment through its sustained collaboration with partners and their empowerment remains a crucial step toward a more equitable society.
Speaking on the challenges women face, Dr. Ojukwu said “It is instructive to recognize that addressing gender-based violence (GBV) cannot be overemphasized, we must maintain our sustained efforts to address it holistically.
“The Commission uses this opportunity to urge the legislators to pass all the outstanding gender laws before them to enhance women’s rights.
“We also use this medium to urge stakeholders including filmmakers, musicians, content creators, religious leaders and traditional leaders to challenge stereotypes and promote equality and inclusion through their works.”
As part of the event, Sa’adatu Mahdi of WRAPA, Engr. Janet Adeyemi of WIMIN, Mrs. Ene Ede a gender specialist, Dr. Uju Agomoh of PRAWA, Yeye Bunmi the Executive Director of BAOBAB and Joy Ngozi Ezeilo a Professor of Public Law were honoured for their contributions to championing women empowerment.
Goodwill messages were also presented by representatives of the Ministry of Women Affairs, FIDA, NCWS, Women in Mining and NOWA.
