According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Nigerian women must continue to fight for affirmative action in public employment.
This was said by the commission’s executive secretary, Tony Ojukwu, in a statement released on Wednesday in honor of International Women’s Day in 2023. The annual International Women’s Day is observed on March 8.
The national assembly rejected the proposal for 35 percent affirmative action to ensure that women hold 35% of elected offices in March 2022 while voting on constitutional amendment legislation. The country’s leadership structure needs to reflect gender equality, according to Ojukwu, who also noted that Nigerian women have proven their abilities in a variety of professions.
“Gender discrimination usually comes with a lot of denials to the detriment of the society as women with great talents and potentials are neglected merely based on gender. However, women’s prudence in resource management and developmental skills cannot be overemphasized, therefore they unarguably remain the pillars of our future, given the enabling environment and opportunity; women have the potential to turn things around to make the world great and a better place for everyone to live in,” the executive secretary stated.
“While condemning the inability of the national assembly to pass landmark legislations on women during the constitutional reforms, he used the opportunity of 2023 International Women’s Day to once more call on the federal lawmakers to consider and pass the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill, CEDAW Domestication Bill and other bills supporting affirmative action like has happened in other developing countries in Africa, saying it will reduce gender-based violations and legally equip women to challenge the inequalities confronting them including Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) which has continued to rear its ugly head in the society,” he added.
He also went ahead to reiterate his commitment to the fight for empowering women in Nigeria, noting that National Human Rights Commission, would relentlessly continue to advocate and promote women’s rights and participation in the country.
He stated; “we have put different measures in place to address the issues relating to violence against women, even as he encouraged Nigerian women to remain focused on the struggle to achieve affirmative action.”
A very glaring gender disparity still exists in Nigeria, and days like the International Women’s Day provide a very powerful platform for subjects like this to be discussed. While Nigeria has made huge strides in empowering women, the country still has a long way to go owing to the sheer number of disenfranchised women/young girls in the country.
