By Perpetua Onuegbu
Mr Gabriel Aduda, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, says Civil Society Organisations and development partners are key to achieving self actualisation for women and children.
Aduda, represented by the Director Child Development, Mr Ali Madugu, said this on Thursday in Abuja during Critical Stakeholders Strategic meeting of the Community and Social Intervention Department, in the Ministry of Women Affairs.
He said that the meeting was to develop a road map for the strategy to achieve the mandate of the department.
“While the government has the ultimate responsibility in ensuring protection of women and children’s rights, but this cannot be fulfilled without the involvement of CSOs, NGOs and development partners.
“I, therefore, call on all stakeholders and well-meaning individuals to work closely with new department toward the protection and promotion of our women and children.
“This is for self actualisation and effective contribution to sustainable national development,” he said.
Mr Kunle Yusuf, the Director-General , Community Enhancement and Humanitarian Development Institute (CSCHEI) said the collaboration of CSOs was key.
“For the department to achieve it’s mandate it needs to work with CSOs,” he said, adding that they will help in achieving the department’s mandate in five ways.
“There are development agents to ask the masses what there needs are; for you to articulate it, they advice appropriately adequately based on the facts, figures and data analysis on ground.
“They assist you in implementing your policy at the grassroot level, they also give national assessment on how far you have gone, what is needed to be done and how best to go about it,” he said.
Yusuf advised the department not to allow bureaucracy to hinder its activities.
He urged the UN and other development partners to also invest in other zones of the country that need support.
Speaking on the objectives of the meeting, Mr Lugard Okorobo, the Director-General, Nigerian Women Economic Development (NigWED) a CSO and organisers of the meeting said It was aimed at bringing stakeholders in the sector together.
“NigWED focuses on social intervention programmes, financial inclusion, economic empowerment, political participation for women and girls.
“Some people are already working at the community level so together we make informed decision that will help the department achieve it’s objective for the overall goal and benefit of women and children,” Okorobo said.
Also speaking, a director at the ministry, Mrs Christiana Oliko, said the department would promote greater synergy with critical stakeholders and give visibility to issues concerning women and children.
“We are foreseeing a situation where we bring in our contribution that will at the long run enhance the quality of lives of our people in nutrition, poverty reduction through skills development trainings.
“Basically, we’ll try to harness our strength as there are some that will provide technical support, some will provide finances, grants and that will aid implementation of programmes and projects,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria NAN reports that the department was created in November 2023 to deal with issues of community development and social welfares with respect to women, children and venerable groups. (NAN)