Stakeholders Urge Women Empowerment, Inclusion

Some stakeholders advocating for rights of women in Nigeria, have called for inclusion and empowerment of women to contribute more in building a stronger society.

They made the call during the Grand Finale of the month-long celebration of 2025 International Women’s Day organised by the Centre for Memories, Enugu with the theme “Nwanyị Bụ Ife” – Woman is Substance.

The event was a call to accelerate action to increase women’s Inclusion, empowerment and to inspire leadership among women and the girl child.

Speaking at the event on Wednesday in Enugu, the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development Enugu State, Mrs Ngozi Enih, said women were the heartbeat of families, communities and nations that needed to be empowered.

She explained that every time a woman rises or leads, that a nation rises while generations were being transformed.

The commissioner regretted that for too long, the strength, intelligence, and leadership of women had been underestimated and locked away by cultural, economic and political limitations.

According to her, there are men who recognised that empowering women were not a favour but a necessity for true development.

“Today in Enugu, Gov. Peter Mbah stands out as a shining example of this belief. Since assumption office, he has intentionally opened doors for women.

“Under Mbah’s leadership, Women are sitting at decision-making tables, where policies that affect millions are shaped.

“Women are leading key ministries, proving that when given the chance, women deliver excellence.

“Women entrepreneurs are receiving government-backed support, because he knows that when you empower a woman economically, you uplift entire communities,” she said.

She encouraged women sitting at the top not to forget to pull others up, mentor younger sisters, encourage their peers, and create opportunities fo others to shine.

The commissioner charged women not to wait for opportunities but work towards the available spaces to thrive and lead.

Mrs Miriam Menkiti, the Executive Director, Women Information Network (WINET), added that the issues of inclusion of women in leadership, politics, business and science and technology were on the front burner in societal discussions.

She explained that Nigeria had a National Gender Policy (NGP) that recommended inclusion of 35 per cent of women in leadership had not been implemented.

She urged the National Assembly to pass Affirmative Action Bill which seeks to specifically amend Section 223 of the Constitution to ensure women occupy at least 35 per cent in political party administration and appointive positions

“They should also pass Bill on Ministerial or Commissioner Nomination, which among others seeks to amend Sections 147 and 192 of the Constitution, so that at least 35 per cent of the nominees are women.

“The Reserved Seat Bill should be passed to create additional 37, 74, and 108 seats for women at the Senate, House of Representatives, and the State Assemblies respectively and other bills that has the interest of women,” she said.

Contributing, Mr James Eze, the Chief Executive Officer, UdalaTree Consult Nigeria, emphasised the need for women to identify the powerful place they occupy in the society, describing them as silent pillars of the society.

While calling for creation of more spaces for women, Eze observed that women have not had their fair share in the men dominated society like Nigeria.

Earlier, the Executive Director, Centre for Memories, Mazi Iheanyi Igboko, said the centre organised the event to celebrate women, especially the roles they play in nation building and development as well as to discuss the critical challenges facing them.

He said the idea was also to form a gathering where younger girls learn from women who had excelled in different careers to become a successful woman in the society.

Igboko explained that the theme highlighted the indispensable role of women in shaping governance, culture, and development while advocating for systemic changes that foster greater inclusion and leadership opportunities for women.