LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT REFUNDS 145 FORMER SUBSCRIBERS OF EGAN HOUSING ESTATE
admin - ‘Kwara gold standard in gender inclusion’
United Nations Women has decorated Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as a global ‘HeforShe champion’ for his supportive policies on women.
UN Women is the UN organisation that delivers programmes, policies, and standards that uphold women’s human rights, and ensure that every woman and girl lives up to her full potential.
According to the body, Governor AbdulRazaq has made Kwara a gold standard for gender mainstreaming in not just Nigeria, but in the world. It added that the award, especially the lapel pin tacked to his chest, means the governor is now a UN Women ambassador anywhere he goes to in the world.
Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, who led a delegation to visit the Government House in Ilorin, said the governor merits the global honour for his exceptional dedication to gender inclusion, women empowerment, and overall development, as has been recorded in Kwara in the last five years.
The government, in 2021, enacted a Gender Composition Law, which mandates Kwara to have at least 35 per cent gender representation in all public sector appointments
Eyong described Kwara as ‘a shining example for giving women their fair share of representation in governance’.
She added: “Kwara State is very important to women because of what you have done therein. We are here to thank and congratulate you for all that you’ve been doing over the years for gender equality, women empowerment and overall development.
“You have made Kwara a shining example in that regard. We are here to recognise you as a UN Women Global HEforSHE Champion. We learnt that in your first term in office, we had a female majority cabinet. And we’ve learnt that we now have a 50/50 cabinet in the state. We also learnt that the majority of your appointments go to women and youth. Those are real progressive moves that you are doing. You have created a favourable environment for gender equality and women empowerment by passing affirmative action into law. These are parts of the reasons we chose Kwara.”
Eyong urged AbdulRazaq to speak with his colleagues in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) to equally adopt 35 per cent affirmative action on gender inclusion, noting that this will stimulate the Federal Government to adopt the policy.
AbdulRazaq thanked the organisation for the honour, saying it will encourage him and others to do more. He said he has no regrets appointing women to key positions because ‘they have done so well’.
He said: “I thank you for the award as a Global HeforShe champion. It encourages us to do more. If you see what is going on in other states you would see we have to put on a lot of energy in it to achieve what we have been able to achieve and will continue to achieve.
“When we came in 2019, there was no single elected female official in Kwara State. By the time we crossed over to 2023, we had five members in the House of Assembly. It was a deliberate advocacy, and we hope to make more progress in the next elections.
“By and large, we are crushing the stereotype that ‘women can’t do this, women can’t do that, no one should vote for women’. I think we are getting to a stage where what matters is the performance and what you do for the people, not your gender. The women we have put into public offices do not disappoint us. They are doing very extremely well.”
The UN delegation was received by the Governor alongside his wife Mrs. Olufolake; Commissioner for Women Affairs Bosede Buraimoh; Commissioner for Business, Innovation and Technology Damilola Yusuf-Adelodun; Commissioner for Water Resources Usman Lade; and Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties Alhaji Abdulrazhaq Jiddah.
