NBA, CSOs laud Nigerian women On IWD, seek more inclusion

Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and civil society organisations (CSO) have praised Nigerian women for their strides and achievements in every endeavour.

NBA, in a statement on the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD), yesterday, hailed its female members for promoting the profession.

The statement signed by its president, Paul Usoro (SAN), read in part: “In particular, today is dedicated to our female colleagues who serve diligently on the Bench and have over the years risen steadily, doggedly and purposefully to occupy leadership positions in our various courts, including but not limited to the apex court.

“In our lifetime, we have had a female Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and a female President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), not to mention female chief judges justices.”

Also, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Nigeria celebrated the women, but warned against gender-related killings in Africa.

In a statement signed by its Outreach and Communications Office, Sylvester Atere, UNODC explained that a recent report on killing of females found that globally, a staggering 87,000 women were intentionally killed in 2017.

The body charged states to ratify and implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) as well as its protocols and other international treaties protecting women’s rights, including the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC).

Similarly, Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) urged the Federal Government to enshrine gender equality in its policies for sustainable peace and development.

Its national coordinator, Mr. Chino Obiagwu (SAN), added: “LEDAP therefore calls on the Federal Government to think equal by closing the gap between men and women in the Nigerian society by passing the Gender and Equal Opportunities bill into law.”

In the same vein, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) lauded women across the globe and called for social inclusion in the developmental process of nations with specific focus on Nigeria.

The executive director, Auwal Musa, said: “No nation can fully achieve sustainable development without including women, girls and all vulnerable groups.

“As the giant of Africa, with population of women a little higher than that of men, female-headed households almost equal to those headed by males, Nigeria is doing itself a disservice by excluding women in its political and socio-economic development.”