By Stanley Onyekwere
Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory practically stole the show at this year’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), which took place on 19th March, 2024 in New York,USA.
Regarded as the “largest annual constellation of United Nigerians Women”, CSW68 is designed for the advancement of global action on gender equality and women empowerment.
The theme for this year’s event: “Accelerating the Achievement of Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women by Women: Implications on Poverty and Strengthening Institutions, was selected as the theme of this year’s event to further deepen the ideas setting up CSW68.
Major influential leaders, policymakers, and activists dedicated to driving global progress in gender equality all assembled in New York to share ideas for the way forward.
For Mandate Secretary, FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, Dr. Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, who was among participants in the event seized the opportunity to present the new Secretariat, Abuja and indeed, Nigeria, to the global world.
She spoke at the Side event of this year’s CSW68 session titled: “The Abuja Accelerator: Unifying Women for Global Impact”, which the FCT hosted for the first time. Benjamins-Laniyi stressed the mandate of her office, saying it was in tune with the principles of the Commission.
She noted that the event wasis apt, especially against the backdrop of worrisome statistics of poverty among women and the dire need to empower and invest in them, in order to upturn such index.
The Secretary also expressed appreciation to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for his foresight and wisdom in establishing the FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, in furtherance of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
She stressed that the Secretariat would provide a strategic platform for women engagement in the FCT.
In her words: “My assignment as the Mandate Secretary of FCT Women Affairs Secretariat is a pioneer assignment that has come out of forty-eight years of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria’s existence, without an institutional representation for women in the Nigeria’s Capital City.
“Though the Federal Capital Territory is homebase to all the Federal Ministerial institutions, including the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, it never occurred to anyone governmentally, to set up a Commission or Secretariat for Women Affairs a Territory of six Area Councils, 62 Wards and 17 tribal Chiefdoms.
“Quite incredible, until the arrival of Mr. Project, the Honourable Minister of FCT, Barr. Nyesom Wike, who came in and established for the first time, the FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, saddled with the exclusive responsibility to address women issues in the Federal Capital Territory.”
Continuing, Benjamins-Laniyi informed the gathering that, on assumption of office, she immediately conducted a 16-Day Gender-Based Violence sensitization, recording unprecedented success, taking the advocacy to all the nooks and crannies of the FCT.
The Secretary further disclosed that, working with relevant bodies, the FCT Administration, through her Secretariat, had commenced annual observance of the Adolescent Girls Day, the first in the history of Nigeria.
More so, she revealed that the Secretariat has also commenced another important program -FCT Orange Girls pilot project, which has selected 310 adolescent girls ranging from ages 12 to 20 for EQ training and life skill empowerment, GBV data reporting on the National Dashboard.
She added that the trainee girls shall stand as global ambassadors to train others and lead their peers in girl-child empowerment advocacy in the FCT.
Benjamins-Laniyi also stated that, going forward, the Women Affairs Secretariat would consolidate on collaborations with the Renewed Hope Initiative of Nigeria’s First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, the Minister of State, FCT, as well as the Mandate Secretary, Health and Environmental Services, Dr Dolapo Fasewe.
Highlights of the side event included Book Presentation as well as Excellence in Women Global Support Award presentation.
This year’s event was also attended by other distinguished guests, including the First Lady of the Bahamas, Her Excellency, Ann Marie Davis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Republic of Sierra Leone, Madam Francess Piagie Aighali.
Others were the First Lady of Ogun State, Her Excellency, Bamidele Abiodun, Former First Lady of Bayelsa State, Her Excellency, Mrs. Uduak Alayingi Sylva, among other notable figures in the social development, gender, and non-governmental organization (NGO) sectors.
