Women economic collectives under the PAWED project and Michael Imodu Institute of Labour Studies Ilorin, Kwara have commended the National Assembly for revisiting the rejected gender bills.
They disclosed this while marking the 2022 International Women’s Day celebration in Ilorin on Tuesday.
Women economic collectives in Nigeria under the Partnership for Advancing Women in Economic Development, PAWED, and the Michael Imodu Institute for Labor Studies have commended the decision of the National Assembly to revisit the rejected bills as a great gift to Nigerian women at the day set aside by the United Nation to celebrate women.
Disclosing this during a conference organized by the Michael Imodu Institute for Labor Studies in collaboration with the PAWED women collectives, the Director General of the Institute, Comrade Issa Aremu described the decision of the National Assembly as courageous, patriotic and good news for Nigeria.
While commending women in Nigeria for standing on their voices in the last few days during the debate on constitutional review, added that their vigilance and commitment to exercise their fundamental right to agitate is responsible for the decision of the national assembly to listen to their voices.
He then advised them to maintain this type of advocacy on issues relating to their right either economically or politically, adding that this success is a new era in women advocacy and struggle.
Earlier in her speech at the occasion, Kwara State Commissioner for Business, Innovation, and Technology, Hajiya Arinola Lawal described the international women’s day as a day for women to come together to look at their condition and plan ways to ameliorate their situation through conferences, advocacy and engagement.
She disclosed that in Kwara state, women are having a joyous journey as they remain the only state with 50% representation in governance assuring that the journey will continue to get better for women in the state.
While taking a historical perspective on informal sector and the position of women, Professor Abikoye Oluwakemi Christiana of the University of Ilorin said that women in the informal sector continues to contribute significantly to national development as they constitute over 50% of national businesses in all sectors of the economy but have lower access to financial support that would improve their contribution to the nation’s economy.
In her speech at the occasion, Senior Technical Advisor to the Partnership for Advancing Women in Economic Development, Mrs Taibat Hussain said that sustainable and transformational changes in Nigeria would be achieved through inclusiveness and engaging women in the informal sector.
