By Josephine Agbonkhese

As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark this year’s International Women’s Day, yesterday, the Federal Government has been advised to take concrete steps towards stepping up gender parity.

Making this call at different events were Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State; Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Dr. Abiola Akiyode of Women Advocates Research & Documentation Centre, WARDC; Founder, African Women in Leadership Organisation, AWLO, Mr. Elisha Attai; Lagos State First Lady, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, and the state’s Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Lola Akande.

While Governor Ambode said women had proven themselves in various sectors and contributed to community development and governance in the state, he emphasised that this year’s theme, Planet 50-50 by 2020: Step it Up for Gender Equality, had always been the standard practice in public administration in the state.

The governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Mrs Oluranti Adebule, reaffirmed the state’s commitment towards providing a level-playing ground for women at an event organised by the state’s Ministry for Women Affairs, yesterday.

WARDC, AWLO

Calling on the Federal Government to support effective and accountable institutions, and step up actions towards a more inclusive society, Abiola Akiyode of WARDC, in a statement, argued that the development and growth of the nation could only be achieved through the improvement of the economic, social, political, legal and cultural status of women.

This, she said, would require main-streaming gender equality within public policies and the adoption of concrete measures of affirmative action to effectively tackle women’s exclusion.

Further reiterating the need for effective, accountable government institutions, she said: “Effective government institutions can genuinely support women to climb out of poverty and take control of their lives.

“Supporting women small holder farmers can, for example, promote food security and end poverty as about 70 to 80 percent of the agricultural labour force in the country are small holders women farmers.

“In spite of this, these women farmers have limited access to credit facilities, farm inputs, training and advice, technology, crop insurance when compared to their male counterparts, and government policies hardly focus on supporting them.”

Expressing fears that gender parity, which is the fifth in the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, may not be obtained before 2133 as predicted by the World Economic Forum in 2015, due to the world’s slow pace in closing the gender gap, Elisha Attai of AWLO debunked claims that the quest for gender equality was a ploy to have women rub shoulders with men.

He said: “Gender parity is not an agitation for women to stand head-to-head with men. It is a cry to give women and girls equal opportunities and access to education, jobs, wages, health and other necessities.”

Planet 50-50 possible— Ambode, Tinubu, Akande

Meanwhile, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in her remark at the Lagos State celebration, asserted that a 50-50 planet by 2020 is possible if women distinguished themselves when put in any position of service, thereby opening doors for more opportunities.

Mrs Akande, on her part, urged women to gather momentum for Goal-5 of SDGs to see the light of day sooner than predicted, adding that without gender equality and a full role for women in society, economy and governance, mankind may not achieve the world it greatly desired.

Mrs Ambode advised women across the country to strive to identify factors that hinder gender parity as well as ways to progress rapidly, if they must be on the fast lane to achieving their ultimate aim.

She said: “The prediction of the 2015 World Economic Forum notwithstanding, I believe we can achieve parity much earlier if we redouble our efforts, backed by commensurate political will from government across the world.

“First, we must redouble our efforts in the area of the education of the girl-child. Existing legislations must also tackle wicked cultural stereotypes against women.

“They must also take decisive action against perpetrators of violent acts such as rape, paedophilia, child slavery, child labour among others, against women and children. Women’s economic empowerment must also be prioritised.”