By Uche Onyeali
National president of the National Council of Women Societies NCWS, Princess Edna Azura has reiterated her commitment to fashioning out more programmes to achieve the vision and objectives of the council.
Azura expressed the commitment while addressing guests at the official unveiling of the National Council for Women Affairs Blueprint and celebration of her 100 day in office as NCWS national president.
The Adamawa State-born women leader, who took the affairs of the umbrella body of all women organisations in Nigeria following the demise of the former national president of the council, Hajiya Lami Adamu Lau, in 2024, enumerated the achievements of the NCWS for Nigerian women since her assumption of office to include sensitisation programmes, campaigns and and awareness creation aimed at protection the rights of women and girls in the country.
Others include empowerment initiatives to make the women economically Self-reliant, health and education advocacy and collaboration with stakeholders and relevant organisations to strengthen vision of the council.
According to Azura, NCWS “launched the Anti-GBV, through awareness creation and ambassador clubs in secondary schools with incident registers to track gender-based violence and distributed sanitary pads to the girls; championed legislative reform advocacy, supporting House Bill 897 (Against FGM) and House Bill 401 (Widowhood Leave), and partnered with INEC to tackle political violence and marginalisation of women ahead of the 2027 elections.”
On economic empowerment, she said the council trained over 50 indigent women and widows in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, on income-generating skills with starter packs and seed capital, a project she said her administration plans to scale nationwide.
“Empowered 10 women with small scale businesses with N50,000 each to help upscale their businesses during the International Women’s Day celebration.
“The council forged international partnerships with Tunisia for trade, investment, and women-led enterprise support,” she disclosed.
Among measures to attract stroñer support for the council, the NCWS president hinted that they strengthened collaboration with the Nigerian Governors’ Spouses Forum (NGSF), National Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, ROSOWA, WACIN – WAG, COSROPIN, CIPA, LDS Charities, among many others.
She also said the council had partnered with the University of Abuja and Nile University for research, training and women-focused development projects, adding that it also hosted a national mental health symposium titled ‘Breaking the Silence’ to address depression and suicide among women.
Princess Azura expressed gratitude to the first lady and national patron of the council, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her leadership, generosity, and nurturing spirit which she said had continue to fuel the fire of hope for millions of women across Nigeria and beyond.
She also appreciated the wife of the vice president, Hajiya Nana Shettima, for her support in executing the Renewed Hope Initiatives, RHI, of the first lady.
Other dignitaries she extended appreciation to included the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Suleiman Ibrahim; former Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, and the director-general of the National Centre of Women Development, NCWD, for their valuable supports to the council.
In her speech at the event, the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Suleiman-Ibrahim described Azura’s leadership of NCWS as obe with a listening ear and worthy of celebration.
She also noted that the council under Azura ignited a movement that rekindled national impact.
Congratulating Azura on hee first 100 days in office, Suleiman-Ibrahim said her administration had reignited the flame of possibility for women’s organising and national influence.
