The Wife of the Ondo state Governor, Mrs Betty Akeredolu says there is no greater tool for fighting gender inequality in the society than girl-child education.
Mrs Akeredolu said this on Monday in Lagos at a programme organised by the African Women Industrialisation Award (AWIA), an NGO, to commemorate 2021 International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration.
AWIA is an NGO put together to recognise notable women, especially in Africa, who have put in great work to create jobs for youths to help reduce the level of unemployment.
She said that all hands must be on deck to deploy all necessary tools towards female education in order to bridge the gender gap, and to enable females participate actively in nation building.
According to her, `if we want to achieve equal seats in the Local Government Legislative Houses, State Houses of Assembly, and National Assembly, have many more women as CEOs, or lead the affairs of this nation, we must have many more educated women.
“Indeed the gender parity-gap is still wide, but with the very rock of aspiration, zeal and courage, we will surely bridge the gap.
“This year, we chose to challenge the status quo because we have for too long endured an imbalanced society, a non-prosperous community, and an environment inimical to our persons as women.
“We chose to challenge the remarkable achievement of our dear sister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, she has energized our spirit and like a horse that fled the stall, we have become untamable’’.
She said that the norms and traditions that were carefully constructed to keep women’s mouth sealed, their hands chained and leave their wings clipped can no longer keep them down.
“The international community has been taking bold steps to create an equal world for both genders, but unfortunately, our local community is still living in a patriarchal milieu’’, she said.
The Ondo first lady further explained that it saddens her heart to know that UAE who was making roughly equal amount with Nigeria in the 1970s is now making 18 times more than Nigeria.
“This is simply because UAE government made significant strategic investments in the girl-child education and more than 90 per cent of women in UAE are well educated.
She expressed her displeasure at the high rate of female illiteracy in the country, saying more than half of our women are still without formal education.
“We must have more women-oriented policies and programmes, and this can only be possible if we have more women in leadership roles.
“In Ondo State, we discovered that 26.5 per cent of our pregnant women do not deliver in a health facility, a situation which is linked to increased maternal mortality rates in the State’’.
She said the state designed the Solayo Safe Motherhood Initiative which has seen over 3000 women receive free birth delivery kits since its inception in 2019.
“Solayo kit contains all the necessary items an expectant mother will need to provide in a health facility for safe delivery.
“This year’s International Women’s Day has seen another 1000 women receive free birth kits. The aim is to reduce the financial burden on expectant mothers, especially those who are vulnerable and reside in rural communities.
“Our mission is to sustain this momentum in a bid to achieve our goal of reaching 5000 vulnerable women at the end of 2023.
“This is an example of a women-oriented policy or program designed by women and for women and this is only possible when we have more women at the decision-making table’’ Mrs Akeredolu noted.
The Convener of the Award, Mrs Nnabugwu Chinyere said the platform aims to help young learners to understand the role of science and technology in building sustainable businesses.
NAN reports that Mrs Akeredolu was the special guest of honour and also an award recipient as the woman of the year who has contributed positively to the life of women and the girl child. (NAN)
