Blessing Iruoma
As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, stakeholders across sectors have been urged to accelerate action to empower women in the country and reduce gender-based inequalities.
This is as women have been urged to prioritise their wellbeing and engage in activities that would add value to themselves.
With the theme for this year celebration focusing on “accelerating action for women and girls: rights, equality and empowerment”, women of different age brackets embarked on a road walk in Port Harcourt at the weekend, organised by the Hope Aglow Charity Foundation, to raise awareness on the need for a healthy woman in the society.
Speaking on the significance of the day, Secretary of the Foundation, Mrs Lilian Ohiri said that in line with the theme of this year’s international women’s day, stakeholders must accelerate action to empower women and reduce gender-based inequalities.
She noted that some cultural practices are still negating the rights of women and government should ensure compliance to constitutional provisions which guarantee the rights of women.
“This year’s celebration needs Stakeholders to accelerate action in areas to empower women and bring about gender equality. The government still has a long way to go in trying to ensure gender equality and enshrine women rights in the country and knowing that some of our culture is still against the equal rights of women, so the government still has a lot of work to do.”
Rivers State coordinator of United Nations Positive Livelihood Award Center (UN Polac), Gilbert Awajimijan advised Nigerian women to rebrand themselves in order to dispel the wrong assumptions which he said have limited the amount of opportunities available for their positive development.
“Women are very peculiar, they play a major role so I want to encourage Nigerian women to rebrand themselves. The reason why men don’t take them seriously is because only a few of them are rebranded and the majority who are not rebranded are giving the wrong signal to the world. Women can rule this country if they rebrand themselves and maintain integrity.”
Also speaking, Mrs Goodness Ugonna said women are unique creatures equipped with talents and skills that can make the world a better place.
She called on women to stand up and build a strong bond that is capable of breaking all forms of limitations to the growth of women.
“We have to do much better in the society, what I want to tell women out there is that we have what it takes, we can do better at home, in school, at church, in the market and in the society, women have what it takes to support each other. We can rebrand ourselves to accelerate what God has deposited in us.”
Nigerian Xpress observed that the road walk which began from Rumuokwurushi/Elimgbu flyover, had women engaged in a fitness walk to Eneka town hall where medical personnel were on ground to carry out routine medical tests on those present.
Some beneficiaries of the medical outreach appreciated the organisers for the timing of the event and urged other stakeholders to prioritise the welfare of women.
