Nigeria's First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has reiterated the need to invest in women as a pathway to building progress in Nigeria.
Mrs Tinubu said this in a statement on Friday, to commemorate International Women's Day (IWD). She said this year's theme: "Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress", is a call to action.
She noted that investing in women in all spheres is crucial to nation-building.
"Equipping you with education, resources and opportunities to unleash your full potential, supporting your businesses, helping to dismantle economic barriers, and ensuring your voices are heard is a very crucial step," she said.
Mrs Tinubu also called on women to stand for one another.
She said: "Therefore, my question to all women is: what are you doing to help the other woman? How are you investing in her?
"Let us all come together, bond and love one another. This is the pathway to accelerated progress. I charge all women; just pull a sister up, one at a time. You will be amazed at what we can achieve collectively."
Women's alleged marginalisation
Although, women constitute half of the world population's "talent base," they are said to be marginalised in developing nations and their economic, social, and political potential go unachieved.
In many countries, this happened as a result of family traditions, customary law, social norms, religious practices, lack of role models and unequal value placed on women.
Nigeria's effort towards women's inclusion
The administration of then President Muhammadu Buhari launched programmes to better the lives of women across the nation.
These programmes included the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) and the Girl Child Education Programme. The latter was initiated to increase enrollment in schools for the girl child.
Recently, President Bola Tinubu unveiled a women's programme tagged: "P-Bat Cares for Nigerian Women" with the sole aim of promoting women's economic empowerment and social inclusion in the country.
The World Bank in 2023 approved $500 million for Nigeria to scale up its women's programme. The fund was for the Nigerian government to invest and improve the livelihood of women in Nigeria.
The programme was to ensure better economic opportunities for women which is essential for addressing gender inequality; guaranteeing better education, and improved health.
