• Okonjo-Iweala, Amina Mohammed, others inducted into hall of fame
Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, has called on women to build a coalition and foster solidarity to uphold their rights.
Tallen stressed the power of women-led advocacy and the vital role it plays in shaping society.
The minister spoke yesterday in Abuja at the National Launch of 50-50 Action Women Advocacy Group, organised by WomenAid Collective (WACOL), in partnership with Ford Foundation West Africa.
She said women have been in the forefront of advocating social change, fighting for their rights, and speaking up for the silenced.
Tallen encouraged women to continue to stand together, and fight for what is right.
“No matter the disappointments we witnessed, we cannot stop. We must speak up, stand together, and fight for what is right. We must build a society where women are free to be what they want to be, pursue their dreams, and live without fear”, she said.
Executive Director of WACOL, Prof Joy Ezeilo, said the organisation had carried out activities that contributed to the realisation of its targeted goal, which is to eliminate social norms and practices that promote violence against women and girls since its establishment.
Ezeilo said one of the projects of WACOL, which was funded by Ford Foundation West Africa, seeks to contribute to elimination of violence against women and girls in Southeast and South-south enabled by social-norms and cultural practices.
She said the core objective of the project was to raise women leaders to take ownership, analyse issues of rights of women and drive advocacy for attitudinal change on issues of harmful practices against women.
The director said WACOL selected 50 women from each of the seven focal states and organised intensive training for them on leadership, advocacy, networking and collaboration towards synergising actions to change gender-based harmful cultural practices.
Eight female icons in the country have been inducted into the First Nigerian Female Achievers, Nigerian Women Hall of Fame.
They are Mrs. Amina Mohammed, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Mrs. Kofo Akinkugbe and Dr. Eleanor Nwadinobi.
Also included are Engr. Bolarinwa Kemisola, Engr. Funke Opeke and AIG Aishatu Baju.
Though Amina Mohammed and Okonjo-Iweala were previously inducted, Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, said this was of the first Nigerian Female Achievers.
The First Nigerian Female Achievers Hall of Fame is for Nigerian women who are the first to achieve something great in their field of endeavour.
According to Dame Tallen, Nigerian women have come of age and would continue to push boundaries until the men recognised and give women their due. She insisted that if the country must grow, women must be given more spaces and opportunities.
She added: “This is not because women are not qualified. In fact, Nigerian women are more qualified because, if given the opportunity, they would create more bills that would benefit the country because, as mothers, they have the interest of the country at heart and know what its people deserve.”
Director-General of the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Asabe Bashir, on why the inductees were chosen, said: “Mrs. Mohammed is the first woman Deputy Secretary-General of United Nations; Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is fist female and African Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO); Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire is an advocate for Transformative Change, Gender and Women’s Economic Empowerment; Mrs. Akinkugbe is the first female and Nigerian to own a sim-card production line while Dr. Nwadinobi is the first Nigerian woman to be elected President of the International Medical Women Association.
“Also, Engr. Kemisola is the first female to invent the Smart Bra for early detection of cancer; Engr. Opeke the buily the West African first privately-owned largest Tier III Data Centre and AIG Baju the current President of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria, the first female to occupy the position.”