Minister seeks synergy on advancement of rural women

The Minister of Women Affairs Mrs Pauline Tallen, has urged stakeholders to mobilise resources and establish partnership that will promote gender equality and develop rural women in Nigeria.

Tallen, made the call in Abuja, while engaging with rural women in Karshi community, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), FCT as part of events to commemorate the International Women Month.

”Inequality rate in the society has greatly impacted on the development and advancement of rural women thus the need to bridge the gap through intense advocacies and sensitisations.

“I urge all stakeholders present to continue to collaborate with the Ministry to ensure that gender equality is achieved in Nigeria.

“Especially in the area of creating synergy, strategies of mobilizing resources and establishing good partnership to overcoming challenges of rural women in Nigeria,’’ she said.

The minister also stressed the need for all stakeholders to carry out advocacies on the need for girl-child education, antenatal care and child immunisation and effects of harmful traditional practices.

“We want to engage wives of our traditional rulers for our advocacy to talk to women to make sure the girl child education is properly addressed, female genital mutilation is properly addressed and making sure they take their children for antenatal care” she said

Tallen, also, advised women to ensure a peaceful and healthy society by inculcating sound moral instruction into their children, which will be reflected in the society.

Also speaking, Mrs Halima Mohammed, wife of the Chief of Karshi, assured the government that the council will sustain the advocacies on the importance of girl-child education, as it was fundamental in realising gender equality.

“We have been reechoing what the minister said on the girl child education. You cannot quantify it because once you educate a girl you have no problem” she said.

Also contributing, Mrs Grace Sauka, President, Affordable Housing Estate Women Association Karishi said insecurity and low income had affected the number of girls attending school in the community.

Sauka said,“because this issues are on ground, this insecurity, some cannot afford to train their children especially the girl child, they prefer the boy child to go school than the girl child.

“But with her words encouragement here we will go back home and tell our husbands and children to let them go back to school.” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other highlights of the event were the distribution of food items including vegetable oil, bags of rice, Pasta and some fabric to vulnerable women to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.