As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, I want to extend my felicitations to the women of Edo State, and Agbazilo in particular.
Unequal societies are built on flawed laws and norms that overtly and covertly protect and propagate oppressive power dynamics. These dynamics can take the form of unequal access to finances for women; or violence against them.
It is why I must congratulate Gov. Obaseki for domesticating the Violences Against Persons (Prohibition) Act; and for more recently earmarking 60% of a N2bn MSME development fund to women entrepreneurs.
These efforts are laudable; particularly when seen against the backdrop of a reluctance by other state and national political leaders to take concrete steps towards tackling society’s gender imbalances.
Women continue to suffer disproportionately the effects of wars and conflict; of climate change; limited access to life-saving primary healthcare and life-giving education.
That is why it was particularly disheartening to see the National Assembly reject three proposed gender-positive bills that would have moved us closer to an equal society.
On this auspicious day, I make the commitment to push for legislation and constitutional amendments that will make our society safer, fairer and more just for women and young girls.
I urge our political leaders to join me in this commitment: we must realize that to build a prosperous, sustainable future, we need every member of society – men and women – to equally contribute to that great endeavor.
I believe fairer, and more equitable laws devoid of gender biases will make this possible, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve the great women of my community.
Happy Women’s Day
Ose Anenih
Founder, OASIS Foundation
House of Representatives Aspirant
Esan North East/Esan South East
Stay ahead with the latest updates! Join The ConclaveNG on WhatsApp and Telegram for real-time news alerts, breaking stories, and exclusive content delivered straight to your phone. Don’t miss a headline — subscribe now!
