TheCable

President Bola Tinubu has unveiled the Nigeria for Women programme tagged ‘P-Bat Cares for Nigerian Women’.

Tinubu launched the initiative on Thursday at the State House conference centre in Abuja.

The president was represented by George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF).

The initiative comprises different packages such as an e-market portal, a national women’s helpline, a Naija Save Nigeria integrity/transparency brigade, and a ‘Nigeria be informed’ national broadcast channel.

Tinubu said the programme is to advance the course of women and children in the country with a focus on empowerment and protecting rights.

Speaking on the annual International Women’s Day observed on March 8, the president said his administration is working to develop policies that will enable the growth of women but noted that policies alone cannot fix everything.

“We need a change in attitude, the determination to make things work, the determination to build our nation. This means knocking down the outdated obstacles that hold women back,” he said.

“Social and gender norms are a critical underlying factor limiting the progress of Nigerian women, there are so many unspoken barriers to women empowerment, many of this start from birth of our female children and run the course of their lives, limiting them mentally and physically, this has to stop.

“This administration is very concerned about ending norms that affect our girl child and women. We need to take the diversity issue very serious, we need to do things differently, take a leap of faith, hire, promote and invest in our women.

“We know what it takes to have a more gender-inclusive country, we need to all make a deliberate effort to achieve this. It is time to empower our women.

“There is a limit, of course, to what the government can accomplish on its own. We extend a hand of partnership to all the stakeholders present and beyond, imploring them to join us in building our women and nation.

“Think of these and also of the millions of Nigerian women today, brimming with talent and potential, just waiting for the chance make their mark and turn their dreams into reality.”

‘WE’LL HEAD TO CJN’S OFFICE AND CRY FOR COMPASSION’

Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, minister of women affairs and social development, said the ministry will fight for the rights of women through legal means supported by the Naija Save Nigeria integrity/transparency brigade.

Kennedy-Ohanenye said the brigade was created to ensure cases concerning women are promptly attended to at the courts.

“If the plan fails we will head to the CJN’s office and cry to him, he will have compassion on us because he has a mother,” the minister said.

“We will cry to the ones in the states and they will have compassion on us and listen. There’s nothing we will not achieve if we do so peacefully.

“If a woman has been maltreated, we will come out and make noise, come to our aid and trust me they will come to our aide.

“If a child is maltreated, we will make the same noise and attract attention of those who will come to our aid. We are asking for more compassion as women and a human being as a whole and reduce our wickedness and greed, trust me the country will move further.”

The minister added that women do not want to remain silent or “continue to make noise in the usual way by going on protests knowing that Tinubu cares for them”.