‘Tinubu has provided unprecedented political backing for women’ – Minister

President Bola Tinubu has provided “unprecedented political backing” for women’s empowerment and social impact programmes, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim has said.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim stated this at the Nigeria House in New York during dinner organised for the Nigerian delegation to the ongoing 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York.

The minister said Tinubu “has done everything for us to get to where we are today, and we can see a lot of political prioritisation for the work that we do”.

“It means that we are getting something right and we have done something right,” she said.

“From the leadership of our beloved President Bola Tinubu down to the very least level of leadership, we see men rooting for us, so how we navigate is entirely up to us.”

The minister challenged women to “work smarter” and speak with one voice”.

“Our unity will define the kind of successes that we record going forward. We must speak with one voice going forward.”

“In Nigeria, we must rejuvenate the women’s movement because the one that does exist will not take us far. We must see a rise of she for she’s.

“We must look out for each other as women. More than ever, the she for she factor is what will take us far.”

The Chargé d’Affaires, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN, Amb. Syndoph Endoni, said CSW is “ultimately about people, about the dignity, rights and opportunities of women and girls whose lives our policies are meant to improve”.

Chargé d’Affaires, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN, Amb. Syndoph Endoni, delivering a welcome address at a dinner organized for Nigeria’s delegation to the ongoing 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women at Nigeria House in New York
Endoni said the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu is a national framework aimed at promoting inclusive growth, social protection and expanded opportunities for all Nigerians.

“Nigeria has, therefore, prioritised women’s economic empowerment as a key driver of sustainable growth and our long-term ambition of building a one trillion-dollar economy, which is going to be made possible by women.”

The Nigerian diplomat noted that national social protection programmes have now reached about 10 million households, with women accounting for more than 70 per cent of the beneficiaries.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, Kafilat Ogbara, regretted the under-representation of women in parliament.

“As we all know, Nigeria currently has a representation of less than four per cent in our parliaments. So we are working towards ensuring that we increase this number.”

Ogbara, however, said the 10th Assembly of the Nigerian House of Representatives is taking under-representation of women very seriously.

She said lawmakers are working on a popular affirmative action bill aimed at reserving special seats for women.

“We are trying very hard to ensure that this bill passes through, to be able to take effect by the next election,” she said.

Some of the delegates in attendance included former Minister of Women’s Affairs, Pauline Tallen; wife of Ooni of Ife, Temitope Adeyeye-Ogunwusi.

Others were wives of Ministers, States’ Commissioners for Women’s Affairs, Civil Society groups and delegation from the Republic of Serbia, among others.