KGSG commemorates International women’s Day as First lady advocates for equality »

Kogi State first Lady, Hajiya Rashidat Bello has advocated that women should be given equal opportunity for participation in the society affirming that human societies progresses faster and further when men and women work together in a community.

She made this known on Tuesday at the SARVE II women summit organised by Action Aide alongside other Non Governmental Organisations in partnership with the state Government through the Woman Affairs Ministry to commemorate the 2020 IWD celebration.

The wife of the Governor represented by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs Ejura Mercy Onoja noted that Stereotypes and social practices which downplayed and excluded women, or obstruct their free and equal participation in any field of endeavour was always an own goal against the society which permitted such.

The Wife of the Governor enjoined everyone to work for equal treatment of all irrespective of gender affirming that such will guarantee a better society.

She noted that equality for the sexes does not mean blurring the differences between human genders as Men and women were both fearfully and wonderfully made by their Creator.

The first lady defined ‘equality’ to mean that societies must institutionalise systems which allowed everyone to contribute maximally to community building.

She asserted that opportunities and rewards systems for all human contributions should not be calculated on a sliding, or discriminatory, or gender-insensitive scale but denominated by the merits of the individual.

The Governor’s wife mentioned that Kogi State had been fortunate as both Governor Yahaya Bello and Deputy, Chief Edward Onoja as well as the New Direction Administration have charted a new course towards cooperation and integration in the state.

She revealed that Women were known as the bedrock of every successful nation and Kogi women doubles that saying as they were the candle light that holds Kogi State into success.

Hajiya Rasheedat stated that equality was a growing debate world over asserting that Kogi State have gone beyond domestication of the debate into actual practice and implementation.

She expressed that her functional office has established different skill acquisition centers for women in some Local Government Areas which included Lokoja, Okene, Igalamela Odolu, Koton Karfe/Kogi.

She added that the Direct Reach Out Project (DROP) project which was a one-on-one focus on women emancipation as well as other outreaches from her office across the 21 LGAs of the state has given hope to many Kogi women who have benefited from these projects.