By Dayo Omoogun
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning Mrs. (Dr) Zainab Shamsudeen Ahmed has restated her Ministry’s commitment to support the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development’s effort to end Gender Based violence against Women and Girls.
The Honourable Minister made this assertion Friday in Abuja at the National Accountability Town Hall Meeting to commemorate the 2020 16 Days of Activism to end Violence against Women and Girls with the theme “orange the world, fund, response, prevent and collect”.
The Minister who lamented that the COVID -19 pandemic has heightened the gravity of violence and sexual abuse against women and girls, noted that a recent EU report shows that 30% of women aged 15 – 49 had experienced sexual abuse at one time or the other while another report commissioned by the Ministry of Women affairs and the United Nations Population Commission in support of Norwegian government also showed that 28% of Nigerian women between the age of 25-29 has experienced some form of violence at one time or the other.
Mrs. Ahmed stated that in response to the rising cases of violence against women, President Buhari has inaugurated an Inter-ministerial committee on the eradication of sexual and gender based violence against women, adding that state governors had unanimously declared a State of Emergency on this.
The Minister further stated that her Ministry will also organize a high level stakeholder’s dialogue meeting to undertake stakeholder’s response to stimulus packages, programmes, interventions and polices that is gender sensitive, as well as how the Ministry of Finance could use public Finance Management to strengthen and empower women.
She however called on women leaderships and those in position of decision making to join in the fight against sexual violence and abuse against women and girls, stating that “our voices counts and we must take action”.
The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen in her keynote address appreciated the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. (Dr) Zainab Shamsudeen Ahmed, for her strong commitment in supporting her Ministry’s determination to halting the increasing rate of gender based violence against women and girls.
She further disclosed that her Ministry was working with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to ensure aggregation of data and its impact on women.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Alh. Aliyu Ahmed, in his welcome address, stated that Nigeria was committed to meeting the United Nations 2030 target of eradication of violence against women and girls.
While appreciating the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development for organizing this year’s annual event, the Permanent Secretary said that Nigeria was committed to using the instrument of law to ensure the achievement of the goal without fail, adding that, sexual abuse and violence is an obnoxious crime against women worldwide and hoped that timely and prompt response towards it would be instituted.