Maureen Okpe
The Nigerian Feminist Forum, have trained Journalist on the tenets of the Gender and Equal Opportunity (GEO) bill for better reportage.
The forum in collaboration with Ford Foundation held a one day interactive dialogue in Abuja, to establish a network of female Journalist and advocates, to promote the revisit and passage of the GEO bills in Nigeria.
National Coordinator NFF, Blessing Duru noted that the bills aim at eliminating every form of discrimination against women, maintaining that the media have a crucial role in disseminating vital and accurate information to the public to ignite public discourse.
Duru said “the gender equal opportunity bill is one framework that articulates issues around women and girls, it is a necessity to have it passed as a law in our country, so that the issues about women and girls can be addressed holistically using a rational framework.”
The media have a critical role to play in advocating for it so that the 10th assembly will see it as a priority. Women and Girls desperately need the equal opportunity bill so that our issue can be seen as a national one and be given the platform where we can participate in national discuss.
“Provisions in this bill represents the Nigerian women issues, concern and fears passing the bill into law will automatically began to address their issue and begin to give them hope, trust and believe that the Nigerian government actually listens to their complaints and interested in creating an enabling environment for everyone including the women at the rural area.
Head of Programs Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC), Emmanuella Asuh reiterated the need for media engagement to advocate the reintroduction of the gender bills.
Asuh stressed the bill promotes the right of the less privileged and not to further empower the elites. According to her the whole essence is to bring women at par with each other and also with the men folk, stating that an empowered woman contributes more to the society.
She said, “The engagement with the media is very vital, to understand the issues to be able to deliver appropriate information with the correct understanding of what the issues are and this can only be achieved if the right message is put out there.
“So the media need to be properly informed as if they do not have the knowledge of what the bills are there will be a misunderstanding, with the training, the media understand what the gender bills is about and be able to write a narrative that will bring about the passage of the bill.
Also, President of Women in Politics Forum (WiPF), Ebere Ifendu charged women on strategic engagement to achieve the passage of the gender bills, starting with the woman proposing the right attitude to work with the men.
Represented by Charity Anaja of WiPF Ifendu said, one of the sure ways to get the bill passed is to lobby the men, as politics is a game of number.
“jf we do not have the number of women in legislation, we have the number of men who are mostly married. If the men can support the course of their wives then, we can move forward.
“Earlier in her welcome address, the Communications and Programs Assistant Adaeze Ekpunobi decried women in Nigeria are at a cross road where systemic barriers persist, as they are denied the equal opportunities deserved in political leadership and various spheres of influence.
Ekpunobi said, the denial of these bills is not just a legislative set back but a denial of the fundamental human rights of womenAdding, by coming together and leveraging the power of media, women can transcend barriers, challenge misconceptions and strive towards a more inclusive and equitable future.