The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire

  • Private sectors urged to train teachers on special needs, disabilities

    Members of the private sector have been urged to invest in the training and re-training of teachers on special education and awareness of HIV/AIDS in the country.

    Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) made the call on Wednesday at a workshop for teachers on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SENDs) and HIV/AIDS Awareness in Abuja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was organised by the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) in collaboration with Axiom Learning Solutions Limited funded under the SDGs Project.

    Orelope-Adefulire, who represented by Dr Ify Ukaegbu, said that government was constrained by current economic situations and could not shoulder all the responsibility in ensuring the effectiveness of SENDs and HIV/AIDS education.

    “This is an important project and the government cannot do it alone.

    “We need the partnership, the collaboration of the private sector to mobilize domestic resources for investment in the training and re-training of teachers on SENDs and HIV/AIDs education.’’

    She added that Nigeria need to make proper budgetary allocations for the success of the teaching and learning of SENDs and HIV/AIDS awareness in schools.

    According to her, there should also be a high impact interventions specially targeted at addressing the issues of SENDs and HIV/AIDs in schools.

    ‘’Retooling of regular classroom teachers on the techniques of handling special needs children and HIV/AIDs curriculum in schools is also required to make teaching and learning of SENDs work.’’

    Orelope-Adefulire said there was also a need for global partnership on programmes and services of HIV/AIDs and pupils with disabilities.

    Also speaking, Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, the Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, stressed the need for continuous training and re-training of teachers in order to keep abreast with current global trends.

    “Quality teacher and teaching is everything. If we can get this right everything will fall in place.’’

    He said that plans were being made to revive the Presidential Teacher of the Year award so that teachers could be recognised for the work they do

    “We should be recognised; we are nation builders, we teach while others learn and we will ensure that teachers occupy their rightful place in society.’’

    Mr Ikpe Obong, the Secretary General, Nigerian Union of Teachers, noted that there was a significant drop in the number of teachers being trained this year compared to the previous trainings.

    Obong, therefore, appealed to the federal government to source for funds so that more teachers could benefit from subsequent trainings.

    He said that so many people with disability were gifted and talented and could even perform better than some able-bodied persons could.

    “Yes we are in a recession but my appeal to government is that more funds should be made available to increase the number of trainees next year.

    “Government must not neglect people with disability because they are also relevant.

    ‘’Government should go beyond the sensitisation aspect and take care of the special institutions that are responsible for these people.’’

  • Nigeria pushes for women’s property rights at UN

    Nigeria has led advocacy campaign for the promotion of women’s property rights in Africa, saying it is a panacea to achieving women economic empowerment in the continent.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, hosted Africa’s women parliamentarians at a side event at the ongoing UN Commission on the Status of Women in NewYork.

    Orelope-Adefulire regretted that women were still discriminated against in Africa in the area of rights to inherit property.

    “Women are special; we should be celebrated everyday and there is no reason why our rights should be eroded.

    “The laws that give rights to men, the same laws give rights to women. So we must come together to protect the rights of women in Africa,” she said.

    She pointed out that advances in entrenching women’s property rights in Sub-Saharan Africa was quite slow adding, efforts to advance this cause have been feeble.

    “The inhibitions placed on women in many family and inheritance laws across the world systematically prevent the full realization of economic rights with poverty as a consequence.

    “There is therefore an urgent need to address the legal pluralism that guides inheritance laws in many nations, a situation where different systems of laws operate simultaneously with attendant negative consequences on the vulnerable in such societies.

    “Where possible, it is important to reform or harmonize these legal systems to ensure that women who marry under local statutes, customary or religious laws and other such arrangements are not treated differently,” she said.

    Orelope-Adefulire, however, called for the inclusion of men to support women in their agitation for gender parity.

    “We need to bring our men on board to understand the problem, why we are agitating and for them to know that it is in their own interests also,” she said.

    She called for the empowerment of women and sustained advocacy for women to know the laws, how to defend their rights and seek redress.

    “As you are aware, there is empirical evidence that demonstrates that investing in women matters for poverty eradication.

    “It is worth reiterating that gender is a determining factor in poverty-environment linkages as gender inequality, environmental deterioration and deepening poverty are mutually self-reinforcing.

    “Improvement in any one of these three enhances livelihoods, improves resilience and reduces vulnerability.”.

    The president’s aide said majority of African countries were signatory to many international agreements targeted at improving gender equality but regretted that they were yet to meet the minimum conditions required to attain gender parity.

    “Across the world, societies that accord gender equality the priority of place it deserves strive diligently to engender women’s property rights.

    “They are thereby able to unlock the full potentials of women and girls, with attendant rapid national development.”

    Also speaking, Mrs Bisi Fayemi, former First Lady of Ekiti State, warned that gender inequality is a deep-rooted problem while women were treating the symptoms.

    Fayemi pointed out that Ekiti state is the only state in Nigeria that has domesticated the National Gender Policy, an effort she championed when she was the first lady.

    She advocated legislative framework, activism and for women to exercise their political strength by electing women activists and feminists into political offices to ensure that gender equality becomes a reality by 2030.

    “We should do something lasting and not clapping and dancing for our husbands to get elected into offices,” Fayemi said.

    NAN reports that other speakers at the event included Ms Silvana Koch-Mehrin, founder, Women in Parliaments Global Forum, Mitchell Toomey, Director, UN SDGs Action Campaign and Esther Chilenj

  • Presidency, Sahara Group, others launch Advisory Group for SDGs

    Presidency, Sahara Group, others launch Advisory Group for SDGs

    A renewed drive for public-private sector collaboration is set to commence in Nigeria as Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo inaugurates the Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on Tuesday.

    The Group  aims at mirroring the Global Private Sector Advisory Group which established by United Nations Sustainable Development Fund (UNSDGF) in New York to effectively achieve the SDGs as a result of the numerous challenges faced during the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.
    The PSAG in Nigeria will provide the Global PSAG with guidance and strategic support to achieve hitch-free implementation of SDGs in Nigeria. This will ultimately create a platform for more impactful and home-grown sustainable models and solutions to achieve the SDGs.
    Speaking on the initiative, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, said the PSAG would help the nation address and solve development issues sustainably.  “The Public Private Partnership (PPP) for Sustainable Development marks a new dawn in the implementation of pro-poor projects and  programmes in Nigeria,” she said.
    Tonye Cole, Executive Director and Co-Founder Sahara Group, said the PSAG would galvanise ideas and initiatives from various stakeholders to achieve accelerated and inclusive development across the nation. “We strongly believe that the achievement of the PSAG objectives will not only improve the global SDG ranking of Nigeria, it will also improve the standard of living across the nation through the provision of sustainable solutions to basic problems,” said Cole, who represents Sahara Group on the Global PSAG board of the UNSDGF.
    The Nigerian Private Sector Advisory Group is made up of 13  key partners who share high commitment in achieving the 17 SDGs and also have a track record of laudable milestones in the area of implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility projects.
    Some of these key partners include but are not limited to: Growing Businesses foundation (GBF), Lagos Business School (LBS), Sahara Group Limited, British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN), Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), PricewaterhouseCoopers Ltd. (PwC), Google,  Unilever Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, GT Bank, General Electric (GE), Dangote Group, Coco-Cola, Channels Television, Chamber of Commerce- Lagos/Kano, National Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI) and NASME. As the work progresses, the number of organizations that make up the PSAG are expected to increase to accommodate others that are keen on contributing their quota towards achieving the SDG’s in Nigeria.
    Stakeholders working under the aegis of the PSAG will collaborate on identifying areas of common interest to achieve the establishment of vibrant public-private partnerships in Nigeria.
    The Group will work closely with the Office of the Senior Special Adviser to the President on SDGs to ensure seamless implementation  of adopted development projects across the nation.

  • Aisha Buhari calls for women empowerment in nation building

    Aisha Buhari calls for women empowerment in nation building

    The Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, on Wednesday, called for women empowerment as part of the nation ‘s development .

    The President’s wife made the call at the 5th National Women Summit organised by the Oyo State Officials’ Wives Association (OYSOWA)  in Ibadan.

    According to her when you teach a woman, you have taught the nation.

    She said that the role of women had become critical to the society and also the home front, especially due to the current economic situation in the country.

    Represented by the wife of the Zamfara State Governor, Hajia, Asmau Yari,  Aisha said women must also be celebrated.

    The Wife of the Oyo State Governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi,  solicited for ways to continue to improve a lot of women in the country.

    According to her, the theme of the summit: “The Ultimate Women at a Time Like This” is apt, especially in the face of the harsh current economic realities facing the country.

    She said the aim of the summit, which was the 5th edition, was to create women who would entertain no fear to go “where there his no path and leave a trail”.

    Ajimobi said that women must continue to etch their names in the annals of world history as achievers and trendsetters.

    She called on corporate organisations and civil society organisations to partner with OYSOWA for the empowerment of women in the state.

    “Quite a large number of our women need to be given a springboard from which they can launch themselves into the limelight.

    “We have quite a number of programmes designed for this purpose which require collaboration and support and we count on you to make this happen for our women”.

    Mrs Nkechi Okorocha, wife of the Governor of Imo State, on behalf of the governors’ wives present at the summit, commended Mrs Ajimobi for her role in  empowering women in the state.

    She said women, more than before, must work to be independent economically and achieve the change agents the country desired.

    “When women rise, something begins to happen, hence the theme of this year summit will go a long way in making women a change agent not only in Oyo state but in Nigeria in general”.

    Dignitaries at the event included wives of governors of Osun, Kwara, Lagos, and  former Deputy Governors of Lagos State, Mrs Sarah Sosan and Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.

    Others are the governor of Lagos, Osun. Oyo State House of Assembly Speaker, Michael Adeyemo, and wives of service commanders in the state.

  • ‘Lagos courts get three child abuse cases per day’

    The 10 family courts in Lagos State receive at least three cases of sexual offences and domestic violence against children daily, the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Funmilayo Atilade, said Thursday.

    She said with over 1,000 abuse, rape and molestation cases filed every year, there is still much to be done in effectively enforcing the child rights law.

    Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, called for a consolidation of all laws relating to children into one legislation for easy implementation.

    The state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said several socio-economic and cultural factors work against effective enforcement of the laws on women and children.

    They spoke at the Stakeholders’ Summit on Child Rights/Domestic Violence laws, as part of activities marking the new legal year in the state.

    Justice Atilade lamented the increase in cases of domestic violence, rape and other sexual offences.

    “Recent happenings make it obvious that violence and tyranny are shifting to the girl-child. The abduction of the Chibok grils is a case in point.

    “The increase is phenomenal, frightening, offensive and disturbing,” she said.

    The CJ called for a reassessment of how cases involving child abuse and domestic violence are prosecuted.

    She raised these posers: “Are we all doing what we should do under the circumstance by protecting the best interests and welfare of these children?

    “Are cases of rape being diligently investigated and prosecuted? Are lawyers promoting the right of victims of these offences and not just giving prominence to the right of the perpetrators to fair trial over that of the innocent victims?

    “Are the courts ensuring justice for all – the offenders, victims of these offences and the society at large?”

    Mrs. Orelope-Adefulire urged victims of violence to speak up and seek help before it is too late.

    The deputy governor urged the Federal Government to do all in its powers to ensure the release of the abducted Chibok school girls.

    “The Federal Government has not done much to the best of my knowledge. We want them to be brought back alive now.

    “Nigeria has the resources, so everything must be done to bring them back,” she said.

    Ipaye recalled a case where a woman died from domestic violence. The husband was arrested and was about to be charged for murder, but relatives pleaded with the ministry to drop the case for the children’s sake.

    “The family begged that the father of the children should not be sent to jail because there will be no one to provide for them,” Ipaye said.

  • Civil society groups protest Chibok abduction in Lagos

    Civil society groups protest Chibok abduction in Lagos

    Civil society groups and women on Monday stormed the office of Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), to protest the abduction of 234 students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.
    The protest march, organised by Women for Peace and Justice in Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter, was attended by various civil society coalition groups, accompanied by their male counterparts, including rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN).
    They were dressed in red outfit, and began the street protest at about 9am at Allen Roundabout, Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, before marching in unison to the governor’s office in Alausa.
    Armed with placards some of which read, “Bring back our girls,” “Our future leaders are missing, bring them back,” “Chad, Cameroon and Niger, stop enabling criminals,” “We want our girls back alive,” “Save innocent girls,” “Enough is Enough,” “234 girls, Haba!” and “FGN, Free the Chibok Girls,” among others.
    Their activities however caused intermittent traffic gridlock on Awolowo Way as they marched along the road singing and demanding for the release of the children.
    Speaking on behalf of the protesters, the former Attorney General of Lagos State, Justice Wonu Folami (rtd), said the protesters were at the State House to express their grievances over the abduction of the girls in Borno State.
    “Our children have been brutally murdered. Over 200 girls were kidnapped, this is very sad that nothing is being done about it. It is sad that the government does not even know the number of girls that are missing.
    “We want security to be redoubled immediately. We want them back alive and without them, there can be no tomorrow. Fashola should double his effort to provide security in Lagos State as there are insinuations that they might strike here,” she said.
    Falana on his part said, “We demand on the part of the government immediate rescue operation of these girls so that that they can join their parents. We urged the Lagos State government to help convey this message to the Federal Government.
    “Until these girls are released, we cannot give the government any pass mark, we want the government to redouble its efforts so that these girls can be returned to their parents. We call on the government to deploy all military forces in Nigeria to collaborate with the international organisations and countries that have gone through this before t ensure the freedom of these abducted girls.
    Receiving the protesters, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, said the state government would work with the federal government to ensure the girls were released, adding that it is disheartening to hear that 234 girls were kidnapped.
    “We are pained as mothers for this to be happening to our girls. We will do our best to ensure that they are released. All of us should pray and fast for the release of these children because we believe God can do it,” the deputy governor said.

     

  • Let’s stop violence against women

    I was at a debate recently and the subject of discussion was superiority of male over female children. I am not referring to the secondary school debate we participated in where two parties tried to outdo each other. Here, it was a serious debate, which left everyone dazed.

    When I was younger, I heard stories of men who became polygamists to have a male child, thereby causing undue rivalry between their wives and breaking their homes. In fact, in some cases, first wives were sent out of their husbands’ houses because they could not give birth to male children. I sympathised with such women.

    In my naivety and ignorance, I had also concluded that women should always try to bear male child or children to secure their marriage since most husbands cherished male children. This barbaric idea that a woman must give birth to a male child before her marriage could be peaceful still exists in this modern world.

    My view about women bearing male children, however, changed when I attended BIO 201 classes, which is on genetics. The veil of ignorance was removed from my eyes when we were taught that “men, not women, are determinant of the sex of a child”.

    With mixed feelings, I was made to understand the facts that, genetically speaking, in human beings, there are 46 chromosomes in each body cell, which are in a pair, that is, 23 in a pair. Out of 23 chromosomes in each pair, 22 are called autosomes and have no direct effect on the sex of an individual. The last one is the chromosome that determines the sex of a baby after fertilisation. A man possesses X and Y chromosomes, while all eggs produced by a woman contain two ‘X’ chromosomes. During mating, if semen with an ‘X’ chromosome from the man fuses with an egg in a woman having the X chromosome, the zygote (fertilised egg) becomes XX, which is a girl. But if semen with ‘Y’ chromosome fuses with an egg bearing X chromosome in a woman, it becomes a male zygote.

    A woman is naturally ‘XX’, but a man is the one with the one with the X and Y. If the X chromosome of a man keeps fertilising the X egg in a woman, baby girls will continue to be produced. Also, if the Y chromosome keeps fertilising the X egg in a woman, babies that will be produced from such mating will be boys. This is why some families have several girls and boys, while others only have a mixture of both genders.

    Through this discipline of genetics, I was set free of my ignorance. But what about women, who did not have the privilege to get this kind of information and are mothers of several daughters, who have been victimised by their husbands because they could not bear male children? Such women will be obsessed with fear of losing their marriage.

    Some women have become regular customers of herbalists and fetish doctors because they are seeking male child. They pay huge sum for fetish concoctions, which may not eventually work out. There are other women, who have deliberately gone on hunger strike, in the name of fasting and have been reduced to a broomstick.

    Women, take this free advice: you have been programmed with X chromosomes, it is men that determine your baby’s sex with his X or Y chromosome. Why must you make your daughters feel inferior when you want to kill yourself over a male child?

    You must know that girl-child is also useful and productive. After all, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala the co-ordinating minister of Nigeria’s economy is a woman. What about billionaire Folorusho Alakija, Mrs Bisi Fayemi, Dame Patience Jonathan, Stella Oduah, Deputy Governor Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, T.Y. Bello and other women who have shown that what a man can do, women can do better?

    You better live your life and be happy. If you are in dire need of a male child and you want to go spiritual, pray to God. He will definitely grant your request.

    To husbands, please stop putting undue pressure on your wives. You, and not your wife, are the major determinant of your baby’s sex. Stop domestic violence. Instead, love and cherish your wives. Daughters are children too. If another man did not give birth to a girl, how will a male child marry? If you are not patient enough to let nature take its course, then maybe you should go for genetic counselling. No woman should be victimised again. I am proud to be one.

     

    Ayobami, 300-Level Zoology, EKSU

  • ‘Use of bio-fuels’ll save climate’

    Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has said a new bio-fuel product which uses neither kerosene nor gas for domestic cooking would help in the fight against climate change.

    She made the call at the launch of Kike Green Cook Stove in Lagos.

    The Kike Green Cook Stove produces fire by a bio-fuel gel, which is environment-friendly and supports the global campaign against climate change. She also said that the distribution strategy of the product would help reduce poverty, especially among women.

    Described as ‘green technology,’ is the product is distributed by the United Nations-supported Carbon Credit Network (CCN), and coordinated by the SME funds.

    Represented by Mrs. Oluwakemi Sanni, Mrs. Orelope-Adefulire, said: “Lagos State has always been exploring different strategies to reduce poverty of any kind and empower our women. We are therefore, impressed by initiatives like this one. We share the passion; we share the commitment.

    “I do hope you will remain committed to ensuring that by 2030, more women and people would have access to clean and green energy to support households and increase youth economy in the green sector in Nigeria.

    “It is our hope and determination that in Lagos State, many people would find accessible cheap energy for use in their homes to make life worthwhile.”

    SME Fund Chairman, Dr Christopher Kolade, said the reality of climate change makes it important to explore the use of renewable energy and clean technology, streesing that the world must either cut down on carbon or lose lives.

    He said: “Businesses must invest in clean technologies. The community must embrace the use of these new technologies. Millions of people die every year from indoor air pollution and I commend the work of Carbon Credit Network to help fight this in 2013, as the stage being set.

    “More children will have the opportunity to grow and read under a clean, safe lighting. Respiratory problem will decrease and we shall be able to give hope to many women currently cooking under very dangrous conditions using kerosene and firewood filled with soot.

    “The time is now to join this action. We all have a role to play to create the future we want to see.”

    SME-Funds/CCN Chief Executive Officer, Mr Femi Oye, said CCN makes the Green Carbon Fund available in Africa, using the social network marketing model to distribute wealth for the active poor at the base of the pyramid, especially in developing nations.

    “Our growth in membership has been phenomenal – increasing from few green ambassadors to over 8,000 members in less than a year. CCN has paid over $100,000 in credit bonuses in its first year with a turnover of $2million.

    “CCN continues to strengthen partnerships, broker relationship and enhance cooperation between local and international organisations to bring energy loans, education grants and green technology solutions to the people that need them most,” Oye added.

  • Fashola at Lagos CAN’s interdenominational service 2013

    Fashola at Lagos CAN’s interdenominational service 2013