By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The First Lady of Kwara State, Ambassador Olufolake AbdulRazaq, has highlighted the importance of economic empowerment, personal development, and political participation, as crucial drivers of women’s growth and advancement in society.
She emphasised the need to protect women’s rights, ensure education for the adolescent girl child, and safeguard them from harm, including child marriage and gender-based violence.
Ambassador AbdulRazaq made these remarks at the flag-off of the intervention initiative organised by Chidimma and Havilah (CHF) in collaboration with the Seed of Praise Centre for Youth, Women, and Children (SEPCEYOWOC).
Represented by her Secretary, Mrs. Adewuyi Victoria, the First Lady stressed that inclusive decision-making is essential in a community-participatory approach to promoting the rights of women, adolescent girls, and youths at large.
“Inclusive decision-making is vital in fostering community-participatory approaches that uphold the rights of women, girls, and youths. They must be actively involved in planning, implementation, and monitoring processes,” said the First Lady.
She further added that capacity building should be prioritised, with training and enhancement initiatives for community members being essential to safeguarding the rights of women, girls, and youths.
Ambassador AbdulRazaq also called for partnerships and collaborations between local organisations and stakeholders to ensure sustained progress in promoting the rights of Adolescent girls, women, and youths.
“Accountability and regular monitoring are crucial to ensuring progress,” she noted, highlighting that these efforts ensure women, girls, and youths are central to creating solutions that promote equity and justice while addressing their unique needs and perspectives.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Mrs. Olanrewaju Rebecca Bake, corroborated the First Lady, emphasising the importance of prioritising women and the adolescent girl child by addressing the challenges they face.
“We must consistently prioritise the education and empowerment of women and girls, tackling social norms and gender barriers including issues that hinder their development,” she asserted.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Professor Adaramoja, represented by Mrs. Funmi Afolayan, expressed the Agency’s support for the intervention project, noting that the collaboration between Chidimma and Havilah Foundation and its development partners, such as the Seed of Praise Centre for Youth, Women, and Children, aligns with the state’s ten-year sustainable development plan and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which focuses on quality education.
The District Head (Alangua) of Tanke in Ilorin South Local Government Area, Alhaji Umar Salawu, lauded Chidimma and Havilah Foundation and its partners, including the Urgent Action Fund Africa, for their initiatives and the great community-approach to such intervention in the Tanke community.
He promised to fully support the project and ensure the active participation of the benefiting community to maximise the impact on adolescent girls.
Earlier, the National Technical Lead of Chidimma and Havilah Foundation, Mr. Tiwatope Olumide Omotosho, explained that the programme, titled “Inspiring Girls and Grassroots Network for Inclusive and Transformative Education (IGNITE) Project,” aims to safeguard gender equity, diversity, and inclusion.
He emphasised the importance of awareness and the adaptation of relevant supporting policies to address social norms and gender barriers that hinder adolescent education and economic opportunities.
The Programme Manager and implementing partner focal point, Mr. Ogunsola Femi, expressed confidence that with the collective support of all stakeholders, the project would excel in setting a new standard for transformative education at the community level