U.S. Advocates Concerted Action to End Violence against Women and Girls

By Temitope Musowo

U.S. Consul General John Bray on Monday urged Nigerians to take a firm stand against impunity, stigma and the culture of silence which fuel violence against women and girls in the country.

Speaking at a public lecture organized by the rights group Women Arise and the United Nations Information Center, to mark the commencement of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, Consul-General Bray noted that curbing escalating violence against women and girls would require candid testimony by survivors and open discussion of the societal factors that perpetuate gender-based violence. 

“Women and girls in Nigeria must join their sisters across the world in raising their voices to say that we must break the culture of silence by bringing these stories to light. It is only by such exposure that we can rapidly bring the violence against women and girls to an end,” Bray said.

The U.S. envoy also made a case for joint action by different stakeholders to forestall violence against women while taking legal action against offenders.

“We must work together as stakeholders, in order to be proactive and curb the violence against women and girls Where we fail to prevent such violence, it also important to make those who engage in violence and abuse know that there will be no impunity for their crimes, that society is outraged by such behavior and they will be identified, they will be denounced, prosecuted, and punished,” said the Consul-General.

Other speakers at the event included Dr. Idiat Adebule, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State and Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, human rights activist and founder of Women Arise. They were joined by the National Information Officer of the United Nations Information Center, Dr. Oluseyi Shoremekun. 

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. It takes place annually from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to December 10, Human Rights Day.

Mrs Akeredolu advocates healthy living among Women

By Temitope Musowo 

The First Lady of Ondo State, Mrs Betty Anyanwu - Akeredolu has appealed to Ondo State women to take their health issues seriously, listen to health lectures and regularly attend medical check ups in order to improve their health and make themselves more useful for the society.

She stated this at the 17th Forum for Wives of Ondo State Officials and Female Appointees (FOWOSO)  Empowerment Otreach held at Oke Agbe in Akoko North West local government area of Ondo State. She said one of the focal agendas of the FOWOSO programme is improving the health of women and enlightening them about breast cancer, stating that the Medical Team of FOWOSO are always on ground to carry out medical check on women and children of the local governments visited.

Arabirin stressed the value of good health for proper societal functionality, noting that the FOWOSO medical team has helped increase the health of women free of charge, coupled with adequate lectures on health issues, including breast cancer.

She said FOWOSO is a structure to reach women in all nooks and crannies of the State, knowing that they have a role to play in the socio-economic development of their communities and Nigeria in general. 

The first lady has decried the overtime neglect of women in the society, observing that it has adversely affected its development.

Her Excellency maintained that there's need to empower the women with knowledge, so that they can be aware of happenings around them.

 According to her, the empowerment of FOWOSO can enable women make immediate monetary values through the training of the women on different skills which will help improve the income of their family, resolve marital clashes which is mostly caused by financial difficulty; adding that the result of their business promotes happiness and strengthens family bond.

Speaking earlier, the Owage of Oke Agbe, who also spoke on behalf of other kings in Okeagbe, Oba Alexander Sanuolu Jimoh, said the 17th FOWOSO empowerment outreach held at Okeagbe is a signal that the dividends of democracy is at the doorstep of the people of the state. He prayed for the success of the present administration, while calling for the attentions of the government in rehabilitating Oke Agbe – Ikare road.

Also speaking the Wife of the former Chairman of the local government, Mrs. Tope Ajayi, noted that the policy and goal of the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN) remains a veritable instrument for transformation and saving the lives of helpless women in the society.

Mrs. Ajayi appreciated the FOWOSO Mama for helping the women to acquire skills and consequently empowering them, which has made Ondo State women self reliance and more useful to the society.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Clara Ologun and Folake Jimoh, lauded the wife of the Governor for the projects, empowerment programmes and skill acquisition, pledging that they will judiciously make use of the items and start up kits given to them.

Tobacco Control: Expert Advocates more Stakeholders involvement

By Temitope Musowo

In furtherance of the effort at controlling the use of Tobacco and its harmful effects  in our society , the Branch Head, Tobacco Control Unit from the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Dr. Mangai Toma Malau, has called on stakeholders to get more involved in the campaign to reduce tobacco use.

Dr. Malau who was  speaking in Lagos on Thursday at a training organised by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)  to educate members of Tax Justice Advocacy Network in the South West  region of Nigeria, emphasised the need for stakeholders to be more committed to the cause.

While peaking on the topic ; " Harmful Effects of Tobacco Use Anchoring Argument on the National Tobacco Control Act", Dr Malau gave revealing statistics about tobacco, which kills over 7 million people annually, 6 million direct use and 1 million smokeless, quoting from a 2012 survey, he added that 20 billion sticks are consumed in Nigeria annually.

He highlighted the harmful effects of Tobacco on our  Health, Environment and the Economy , noting that for every dollar tobacco companies make government spend 3 dollars to combat tobacco related ailments,therefore, for the global goal of cutting down the use of tobacco by 30 percent by the year 2025, all hands must be on deck to achieve this. 

A board member  of CISLAC, Barr. Adesina Oke in his address earlier stated that the essence of bringing together members of Tax Justice Advocacy Network was to galvanize regional support to achieve this advocacy for tobacco control 

"Tax and Price is one of the measures put in place by the Federal Government of Nigeria to control the use of Tobacco in the country, since you are already into tax justice advocacy, you need to understand issues around tobacco taxation so you know where to direct your advocacy "

CISLAC is a member of Tax Justice  Network in Africa ,you are members in Nigeria, as you advocate for tax payments and holding government accountable for the use of taxes paid ,you need to also join the effort to use tax and Price as  measures to control the use of Tobacco ", he said.

According to the Programme Manager, Democratic Governance, CISLAC,Mr Okeke Anya,who said while the use of Tobacco drops in elsewhere, it increases in the developing countries, meanwhile,the benefits of the sales goes to those society where the use is dropping. 

Mr Anya urged members of Tax Justice Advocacy Network to engage the Federal Ministry of Finance to give account of the revenue accruing to the ministry since the increment in the tax on Tobacco. 

At the end of the programme which was on Tobacco Tax Advocacy in Africa, supporting  effective Tobacco Control through Responsive Tax System in Nigeria,Mr Anya implored the members to continue with the advocacy in their own way to reduce the use of Tobacco. 

U.S. Advocates Greater Investment in Girl-Child Education, More Female Political Participation

BY Temitope Musowo 

United States Consul General F. John Bray has called for increased investment in the education of the girl-child and greater political participation by women in Nigeria.

Delivering the keynote address on the second day of the 17th Annual Conference of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), in Lagos on November 2, Consul General Bray encouraged the women leaders to continue working to promote gender equality in Nigeria.

He spoke on the topic “Unstoppable You: Reinvent & Reinvigorate” at the event attended by leading women from both the private and public sectors.

“Nigeria cannot achieve its dreams of a prosperous and inclusive society without reinventing its approach to how it is treating the overwhelming majority of the women and girls that live in this country …  It may be up to you to change the tenor of the national discourse and prod Nigeria to place education and health, and the status of women and girls higher on the national agenda.”

Bray lamented that Nigeria is reportedly home to the largest number of out of school children in the world, many of them girls.

“If Nigeria properly invested in the education of women and girls, how many more Amina Mohammeds will represent this country on the world stage?  If more women and girls are given equal opportunities, how many more Chimamanda Ngozi Adichies will be able to tell stories that enthrall the world?” Consul General Bray asked.

Noting that removing the barriers to women's full economic participation is key to an inclusive and prosperous Nigeria, he challenged the conference participants to press for greater involvement by women in the nation’s politics.

Bray said the current political order in Nigeria does not offer enough opportunities for women. He added that low female participation in politics must change if issues of concern to women are to rise in prominence and draw the interest and resources that they deserve.

“WIMBIZ and various Nigerian women’s organizations can help Nigeria decide the course of its future and chart a course that will lead to a more democratic and prosperous nation. You can start by working to ensure that the 2019 elections are free, fair, credible, and peaceful. That would be a great start!” Consul General Bray added.

Why IPC trains journalists ahead of the 2019 elections

By Temitope Musowo 

As overt and covert shuffling of cards continue in preparation for the 2019 general elections, one need not be a prophet to accurately predict the burgeoning polical atmosphere when fully charged would not leave the country the same. 

These unfolding political realities informed the decision of International Press Centre (IPC) and its foreign partner, European union (EU) to begin massive training of journalists in Nigeria,  particularly political correspondents who will play critical roles in the electioneering process. 

The training which is targeted at political correspondents across the country started in Abuja, Kano, and lately Abeokuta, with not less than 140 journalists who have hitherto gone through the training. 

According to the Director of IPC, Lagos, Mr Lanre Arogundade who in his opening address at the just concluded southwest edition of the training at Abeokuta, Ogun State, said the essence of the training was to equip journalists with adequate knowledge about election reporting and also make them be abreast of using mordern  technology in reporting. 

Mr Arogundade asked the participants to count themselves lucky for being successful among about 500 journalists who applied for the workshop, he urged them to take advantage of the knowledge and skill acquired to improve on their job and better their lots.

One of the facilitators, Mr Bolaji Adebiyi harped on the need for journalists to be sufficiently equip with the knowledge of the Nigerian constitution, Electoral Act and party manifestos, so they could feed the public with the right information. 

Mr Adebiyi a media practitioner and media  aide to former President,late  Musa Yar'adua who spoke on a paper titled, "challenges of elections coverage in Nigeria : A reporter's account" , explained how inadequate knowledge of relevant section of the constitution can  hamper  journalists from carrying out their duties effectively, he therefore  enjoyed them to be objective and always verify their facts to avoid misinforming members of the public.

Also speaking as a facilitator at the two-day workshop, a political affairs analyst, Mr Jide Ojo explained the imperative of issue based campaign ahead of the coming elections  and journalists holding  politicians accountable for their actions and inaction instead of allowing themselves to be used as tools by politicians in doing their trade. 

Mr Jide spoke to the socio-economic statistics and human development index that should form the issue for political debates ahead  of the 2019 general elections. He also advised journalists to always set the agenda by raising these issues about Health, Job creation , Housing, Infrastructure,  Water and Sanitation, etc, especially when they go to interview the politicians. 

Another facilitator, Mr Obe discussed with the participants the necessity of using digital tools and apps in reporting, urging the journalists to take advantage of the avalanche of opportunities available  on digital journalism to solve the problem of poor welfare. He added that the  mastery of these social media tools could help journalists overcome those limitations that tends to limit their success on the job.

The participants who later broke out into group session made presentations on identified problems associated with transparency as related to electioneering process in the country, while proffering solutions to those problems.

One of the participants, Miss Blessing from Women Radio, Arepo, who spoke with our correspondent on her take on the training said, "I found the workshop very illuminating, the facilitators who are experts in the field were able to train us effectively and I must say I have been equipped on how to give in depth and accurate report about election. The lecture on digital tools and apps awed me and I believe it will have a positive impact in my reportage of the 2019 elections and beyond", She said.

The IPC Director  assured that the training outfit would continue to do its best to take political reporting to the highest level as part of the efforts to promote good governance  across the country.