Nana Shettima, wife of Vice-President Kashim Shettima and other stakeholders, says political equity and women’s empowerment are crucial to sustainable development in Nigeria.

They stated this at the Women of Worth Group Global Magazine unveiling and Award Dinner in Abuja.

Ms Shettima said Nigerian women had faced numerous challenges yet were relentless in achieving their dreams.

She said, “I encourage you women to continue to be strong and to strive to succeed in all you do because you hold the key to national development.

“I urge you to carry everyone along regardless of religion and ethnicity, strive to create inclusion in all you do and work together as one, encouraging each other to be better.

“I commend the initiative of the Women of Worth Global Group. This is a major milestone in promoting women and giving them hope in politics and all spheres of life.’’

The keynote speaker, a humanitarian and politician Amina Farouk, said that although women were more than half of Nigeria’s population, lamenting, ”their political participation has been regressing over time.”

Ms Farouk said Nigeria has one of the lowest participation of women in politics globally due to cultural and religious biases, lack of finance, patriarchy and stereotypes.

According to her, other reasons include tagging female politicians as immoral, godfatherism, insecurity, and poor party system, among others.

Ms Farouk said, “This reflects in our parliament as only three female senators and 17 female legislators are women out of the 469 legislators and senators in Nigeria. When it comes to the national average for women’s participation, Nigeria is 149 out of 155.

”This is a disgraceful number. In Africa, which is even worse for us, Nigeria has only six per cent of women participation as against the stipulated 15 per cent. Women are not only good for women leader positions in parties, this has to change. They need to become chairpersons, secretaries among others.’’

Former Minister of Women Affairs Pauline Tallen called on women to support and lift each other up without discrimination so that they can grow in all spheres of life.

UN Women representative to Nigeria, Beatrice Eyong, called for unity among women, adding, “That is the Africa we want to see, a place where everyone has equal rights, leaving no one behind.’’

Comfort Adesoye, president of Women of Worth Global Group, said the launch of Women of Worth magazine marked a significant milestone in the journey to celebrate, honour, and amplify women’s voices and achievements.

Ms Adesoye said, “Our mission is to shine a spotlight on the extraordinary contributions women make to society, whether in business, arts, science, community service, or any other field. On these pages, you will find stories that inspire, empower, and encourage. Stories of women who have broken barriers defied odds, and pursued their passions with unwavering determination.’’

(NAN)