Plateau: Commemoration of International Women’s Day

From Tongnaan Bawa, Jos

Plateau state Commissioner for Women Affairs Caroline Dafur has advocated for the inclusion of women in all Government structures.

The Commissioner disclosed this while addressing group of Plateau women mediators organised by CLEEN Foundation at the Joseph Gomwalk State Secretariat Jos,
after a 2km walk which started from the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ Press centre, in commemoration with the International Women’s Day, 2024.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the women Affairs Ministry, Alex Anlong, said women play vital roles in the development of country, hence their relevance in all ramifications of decision making, because they are the bed rock of the nation.

“We all know that without women, there is no Nation,no Community and no State, I want to put it on record that violence against women and the girl Child should stop”.

According to Dafur, ”My belief is for us to bring to bear our successes,our failure and our way forward to enable us achieve our desires”

The Commissioner commanded the women for taking their time to come out for the advocacy walk to Sensitize and create awareness to both private and the governtment.

Earlier, leader of the leader of  Mediation  Platforms, Grace Gora, who spoke on the Theme: “INVESTING IN WOMEN TO ACCELERATE PROGRESS” said
“we embark on a journey of reflection, celebration, and action, Together, we stand as a formidable force for change, united in our resolve to create a more just and equitable world for we all”.

While commiserating with families and relatives of the school children that were recently abducted in part of the country, Nigeria, She said “CLEEN FOUNDATION strongly condemned this incident and called on security agencies to act with every form of response to rescue these innocent children from the den of these dares devils”
We also show solidarity to the women in Borno taken from the IDP Camps as well as school children in Sokoto”.

According to her, hence, a testament to the reasons women should be invested in, to change the template of our public safety and security” Gora added.

She said,the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, “Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress,” encapsulates the essence of our collective mission.

Gora further noted that, this serves as a powerful reminder of the transformative impact that investment in women’s empowerment can have on the trajectory of the communities and the nation as a whole.

The Women mediators leader explained that, “Today, as we honor and celebrate the invaluable contributions of women to every facet of human endeavor, let us not forget the countless barriers they have had to overcome, the systemic inequalities they continue to face, and the resilience and strength they demonstrate in the face of adversity.

This is a call to Action but celebration alone is not enough, We call on Government in Kaduna to translate policies into practice, make every policies and legal frameworks gender sensitive and responsive”

It is incumbent upon each and every women to translate words into action, commitments into tangible change and we must seize this moment as an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to gender equality, to amplify the voices of women, and to dismantle the structures of oppression that holds them back”.

She Observed that, investing in women is not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do, by empowering women, by providing them with the resources, opportunities, and support they need to thrive, they will unlock their full potential as agents of change, innovation, and progress”

As we march forward today, let us do so with a renewed sense of purpose, with a steadfast determination to build a future where every woman and girl can live free from fear, discrimination, and violence” Gora added.

Also speaking at the venue, the Plateau State NUJ Chairman Ayuku  Pwaspo, who is also the first female to serve in the council, called on governtment at all levels to invest in women who are farmers to ensure more higher level of productivity of their business so that at the end, women will increase tremendously.

Pwaspo noted that, the world knows that women have the capacity to do all things, and whatever they desire to do,even at their little conner, hence the need to ensure that the right of women is tremendously improved.

On her part, Chairperson of Nigeria Association of women Journalists, Plateau State Council, and Director gender commission, Nene Dung, charged “Women to always speak out on issues that concerns women, speak out on Gender Base violence and they must continue to help their girls and support each other,that is the greatest thing we need so that we can move forward together.”

Our correspondent reports that the women mediators whom were drawn from four local government areas of the state, Mangu, Wase, Riyom and Jos North and women in peace and security, and other women organisations accompanied JNI corps, live band music to entertain their movement without much stress as well as personnel of the Federal Road safety corps to help control traffic on the highway.

The mediators carried placards with inscriptions which reads; ” No should be left behind equal opportunities for all”
“Breaking barriers,building bridges, gender equality ”
” Equality for women is progress for all”
” Equal pay for equal work time for action not just words.”