NEW YORK – Some women rights activists in New York have lauded the recently launched programme by the federal government, the Growing Girls and Women In Nigeria (G-WIN).
The activists said this at an event tagged Nigeria’s experience on gender responsive budgeting organised by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development on the sidelines of the Beijing + 20 conference taking place at the UN.
The Beijing + 20 conference seeks to appraise the performance of governments the World over in involving women in governance since the first Beijing conference in 1995.
Hajiya Saudatu Mahdi, the Secretary-General of the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative, in her remarks said Nigerian women must ensure the sustenance of the programme at all costs.
‘’It would go along way to empower women and girls.
‘’What G-WIN spells is a shift from the norm, moving from words to action. It is not by accident but through deliberate legislation and direct impact that will go to the grassroots.
‘’We’ve seen other projects that were hijacked by politicians but G-WIN is our own. We should advocate that the budget should move from N3 billion to N20 billion to enrich many women in the grassroots.
‘’G-WIN must continue, Nigerian women must ensure the continuity of the programme. G-WIN is here to stay irrespective of who is in government,’’ Mahdi said.