From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has vowed to increase the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) in Nigeria.
Towards achieving this goal, she has co-opted the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, UN-Women, UNICEF, African Women Lawyers (AWLA), and other relevant organizations in the renewed war on the scourge of Nigerian women.
According to her, the strategy is to establish a mobile court that will speedily try suspects involved in the heinous crimes against Nigerian women and girl-children.
This, Kennedy-Ohanenye said, will create conducive atmosphere for them to thrive in the country. She noted that most of these crimes against women and girls are perpetrated in rural areas of Nigeria, not reached by advocacies and campaigns against the practices.
The Minister said the ministry would deploy town criers, equipped with video-recorded messages to warn potential perpetrators.
Kennedy-Ohanenye also disclosed that she would seek the buy-in and the commitment of state governors where cases of FGM are rampant, and expressed her desire for the support of traditional rulers and other elites in the society to deter child marriage.
She reiterated the need for girls to get education and be able to make informed choices, and stressed her determination to act urgently and not waste any more time.
The minister charged the UNICEF to stand on the same page with her ministry to end the scourge of FGM and child marriage.
Meanwhile, Kennedy-Ohanenye, in a related development visited the Suleja Custodial Centre in Niger State, where she distributed essential supplies such as sanitary pads, soaps, washing detergents, food packs, and bottled water to the female inmates and detainees.
The supplies, she said were intended to alleviate the plight of not less than 540 female inmates and detainees, some of whom have their children serving with them.
The Minister expressed satisfaction with the correctional facility’s various skill training programmes, assuring that the administration of President Tinubu would support her ministry in providing more tools and equipment to facilitate skills development for many more of the women inmates and detainees.
Some of the items made by the female inmates of the Suleja Custodial Centre include sanitation products, air fresheners, bags, and dresses.
The officials in charge of the custodial centre also told the minister and her delegation that the centre looks to reform the inmates through skills impartation.
They informed the minister of the existence of educational training opportunities for those seeking to acquire education by writing examinations moderated West African Examination Council (WAEC), the National Examination Council (NECO), National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) moderated, and the National Open University.
Kennedy-Ohanenye paid off fines imposed by courts on some detainees to get them off the hook while promising to seek further intervention through her colleague at the Ministry of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to get assistance and help to many more of the inmates.