Dr Felicia Mogo, Chief Executive Officer, African Marine Environment Sustainability Initiative (AFMESI), has proposed that the Federal Government should adopt policies that will enhance gender balance in the country.
Mogo made the call in a statement in Lagos on Wednesday, saying that such policies were adopted in other countries
She spoke at the 2022 International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration organised by MMS Woman of Fortune Hall of Fame (WoFHoF) Initiative.
“As an outcome from this MMS WoFHoF event or from the Ministry of Women Affairs, there should be a holistic study of the root causes of gender inequality in Nigeria which should be documented and published.
“There is also a need to agree on a particular benchmark to be attained for gender balance. We can copy from the successful strategies by countries that are doing well in this regard,” Mogo said.
She urged the Federal Government as well as various state governments to address security challenges plaguing the nation, noting that women were affected by the increase in kidnapping, robbery and other violent activities.
Mogo while discussing on ‘Gender Equality: Puncturing the Stereotypes Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow”, expressed dissatisfaction that high level participation by women across various sectors had not translated to significant growth in leadership cadre.
She, however, explained that data collection was very important in appraising the development of women participation across various aspects of the nation’s economy and in governance.
Also, the Chief Executive of Lelook Nigeria Ltd., Mrs Chinwe Ezenwa, noted that Nigerian women still had a long way to go with regard to fighting for their rights in the country.
She expressed pleasure that several women in the maritime sector visited the National Assembly in Abuja to mark the 2022 IWD celebration, calling for gender sensitive bills by the legislators.
The Founder of MMS WoFHoF Initiative, Mr Kingsley Anaroke, stated that the initiative lent its voice against the insensitivity of some of the legislators about gender-related bills.
“We appeal for the immediate passage of all women-related bills at the National Assembly.
“While we commend the leadership of the House of Representatives for rescinding their earlier position on the bills, we call on both chambers to revisit the rejected bills and give them accelerated treatment,” Anaroke said.
He noted that the event featured the celebration of eight women identified as 2022 IWD Amazons by the MMS WoFHoF Initiative, which include, the Managing Director of Multimix Academy, Mrs Oluchi Okafor; and Managing Partner of Hudson Gee Nigeria Ltd., Mrs Gloria Kanabe.
Others are, Lagos Area Manager, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Mrs Sarat Braimah; Deputy Director, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mrs Margaret Ogbonnah; Zonal Public Relations Officer, Zone A Customs Headquarters, Nkeiru Nwala.
Others include, Assistant Director, Public Relations, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mrs Shielibe Abe; Head of Corporate and Strategic Communications at the Lagos Ports Complex, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mrs Arit Nwokedi; and the Executive Secretary of MMS WoFHoF Initiative, Mrs Ifeoma Iloh.
(NAN)
