Ahead of the International Women’s Day (IWD), the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chief Tony Ojukwu has called for gender equality for the Socio-economic development of Nigeria.
In a press statement released on Tuesday in Abuja, Chief Ojukwu emphasized that gender equality holds the key to all-round development in every facet of the society.
‘’It is high time the issue of gender equality and gender inclusiveness defined the way the society is governed’’, he noted.
On the 2023 theme: “Digital Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality”, Chief Ojukwu said it was apt considering the proven capacity of women in diverse fields of life such as medicine, pharmacy, digital technology, engineering and literature.
“Nigerian women and other women elsewhere have on different occasions proven that they can perform excellently in drawing policies and making decisions that could turnaround the society; therefore, they should be encouraged to unleash their best potentials for the development of the entire society”, the Executive Secretary said.
While condemning the inability of the National Assembly to pass landmark legislations on women during the constitutional reforms, Chief Ojukwu called on the tenth National Assembly to consider and pass the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill, CEDAW Domestication Bill and other bills supporting affirmative action for women.
Writing by Tanimu Salihu; Editing by Annabel Nwachukwu