Oba Babatunde Ogunlaja, the Aladeshonyin of Odo Noforija (L) and other monarchs at the unveiling of the 'P-BAT Cares For Women' initiative
Eko Hot Blog reports that HRM Oba Babatunde Ogunlaja, the Aladeshonyin of Odo Noforija, Epe Kingdom, Epe, Lagos State, on Thursday, attended the unveiling of the ‘P-BAT Cares For Women’ initiative.
The monarch and other royal fathers as well as dignitaries joined President Bola Tinubu at the State House conference centre in Abuja to unveil the initiative.
The initiative comprises different packages such as an e-market portal, a national women’s helpline, a Naija Save Nigeria integrity/transparency brigade, and a ‘Nigeria be informed’ national broadcast channel.
Reacting to the programme, Oba Ogunlaja commended the federal government for the women empowerment initiative, which came a day before the International Women’s Day that is marked March 8 of every year.
Oba Babatunde Ogunlaja, the Aladeshonyin of Odo Noforija (R) at the unveiling of the ‘P-BAT Cares For Women’ initiative
The royal father further expressed confidence that the programme will advance the course of girls and women across Nigeria.
Speaking on the state of the nation, he stated his belief of the president’s determination and commitment to turn the country around and make life much easier for Nigerians.
Oba Ogunlaja, who noted that Nigeria is in capable hands, said Tinubu has the will and capacity to make Nigeria work for its citizens.
President Bola Tinubu
Earlier, the president, who was represented by George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), at the event said the P-BAT Cares For Women programme is to advance the course of women and children in the country with a focus on empowerment and protecting rights.
He stated that his administration is working to develop policies that will enable the growth of women but noted that policies alone cannot fix everything.
“We need a change in attitude, the determination to make things work, the determination to build our nation. This means knocking down the outdated obstacles that hold women back,” he said.
“Social and gender norms are a critical underlying factor limiting the progress of Nigerian women, there are so many unspoken barriers to women empowerment, many of this start from birth of our female children and run the course of their lives, limiting them mentally and physically, this has to stop.
“This administration is very concerned about ending norms that affect our girl child and women. We need to take the diversity issue very serious, we need to do things differently, take a leap of faith, hire, promote and invest in our women.
“We know what it takes to have a more gender-inclusive country, we need to all make a deliberate effort to achieve this. It is time to empower our women.
“There is a limit, of course, to what the government can accomplish on its own. We extend a hand of partnership to all the stakeholders present and beyond, imploring them to join us in building our women and nation.
On her part, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, said the ministry will fight for the rights of women through legal means supported by the Naija Save Nigeria integrity/transparency brigade.
Kennedy-Ohanenye said the brigade was created to ensure cases concerning women are promptly attended to at the courts.
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