The National Association of Women Entrepreneurs (NAWE) announces that women have become endangered species in northern Nigeria with the abduction of school girls almost on a weekly basis.
NAWE also urged President Mohammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency protect the girl child who has become prey in the hands of kidnappers especially in northern Nigeria.
The group added that the urgly trend has discouraged more girls from going to school. A situation that, if not addressed, will spell doom on the educational future for the female folks in the nearest future.
In a statement on Tuesday, marking the International Women’s Day, National President NAWE, Barr. Vera Ndanusa, said President Buhari owes the nation as a matter of obligation to protect lives and properties, adding that the failure in fulfilling this obligation has made Nigeria a laughing stock before the International communities.
According to her: “It is unfortunate that women have become endangered species in northern Nigeria with the abduction of school girls almost on a weekly basis thereby hampering their educational pursuit.
Even at home front, women are not psychologically stable due the trauma they go through whenever their loved ones are kidnapped or killed by insurgents or bandits.
The increase in banditry, kidnapping and insurgency across the nation especially North East and North West is unacceptable.
“We however also demand that President Buhari provides equal opportunities in the social, economic and political spheres, end to social stereotypes associated with the female gender, provide more government interventions directed at the girl child, strong partnerships between the government and the civil society to end gender based violence against women and girls, domesticate, the VAPP act to reduce cases of GBV against women and girls, and provides 35% affirmative action for all elective positions at all levels of government in the country”, she said.
Ndanusa said NAWE has chosen to challenge the incessant rights abuse and marginalization of women in the social, political and cultural spheres in the Nigerian Society.
“We choose to challenge the unequal opportunities that exist in the Nigerian society. We choose to challenge the prevailing negative perceptions of the female gender in the Nigerian society.
The 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development clearly states that gender cannot be a reason or criteria for lack of access to development programming and the realization of human rights.
“The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework includes seven targets, which explicitly refer to Women, and six further targets on persons in vulnerable situations”, Ndanusa said.
