IWD: Group Urges Government to Invest in Women

Mary Nnah 

The Chairperson of the League of Women Voters of Nigeria (NILOWV), Rivers State chapter, Mrs Ruth Davies Ibiamu has urged the government and men to invest in women to help them achieve their goals.
In a statement released to mark International Women’s Day, Ibiamu emphasised that the government and society must invest in women to enable them to be more productive, as the theme of this year’s celebration, “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”, suggests.

According to Ibiamu, women need support from their spouses, bosses, religious leaders, government, and fellow women to achieve their goals. This support could be financial, psychological, political, spiritual, and social. “We must invest in women in any little way we can, and that little push can accelerate progress in them”, said Ibiamu.

The League of Women Voters of Nigeria, an all-female organization founded in 1996 by Dame (Dr) Esther Uduehi, following the end of the fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing China in 1995, is helping women play a larger role in Government and Public Affairs in Nigeria in consonance with the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for action.
Ibiamu stated that the League of Women Voters in Rivers State is already mobilizing women at the state and local government level for governance. Since its inception, NILOWV has significantly increased the number of female voters registered due to the League’s mobilization efforts. “For us at NILOWV, our political party is ‘Women.’ We onboard registered women voters and availed them all forms of support,

knowing that political parties do not accord women the much-needed opportunities to thrive in politics, but we are doing that,” Ibiamu added.
Ibiamu also stressed the need for the government and Nigerian society to invest in women to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), just as the UN Women’s Country Representative to Nigeria, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, emphasized during the IWD celebration. The UN is dedicated to promoting innovative solutions to address the economic challenges confronting women and girls in Nigeria, and our government should do the same, added Ibiamu.

International Women’s Day is celebrated on the 8th of March every year to create awareness about issues affecting women, celebrate their achievements, and discuss strategies to achieve gender inclusion in all sectors. The theme for this year is “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.”