Senator Ireti Kingibe, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, has called for an end to all forms of discriminatory practices against women in Nigeria.

She made the call during the 2024 International Women’s Day conference organised by Female Journalists Network Nigeria (FJNN) in collaboration with the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) in Abuja on Monday.

IWD is officially marked on March 8 to raise awareness about issues that affect women and girls. The global observance has “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress” as the theme of the 2024 celebration.

Ms Kingibe said Nigeria must end all forms of discriminatory practices against women and strive for gender equality across all sectors.

She commended FJNN for organising the event to draw attention to issues affecting women.

Ms Kingibe said, “The overriding concern of every woman is to ensure the safety of their children, especially the girl child.”

Dakuku Peterside, former director-general, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said, “It is time to end the marginalisation of women in governance.”

Mr Peterside, a former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers, also said, “We need to work harder to ensure the inclusivity of women in governance.’’

He stressed the need for “an open and honest conversation that must transcend tribal and religious boundaries in listening to women.”

“One shocking development is that in each election circle, we have fewer women in governance; today, there are fewer women in governance compared to what we had in the past two election circles,” he said.

He noted that instead of making progress, the country was closing the space for women, “we have fewer women on the boards of quotient companies; we have fewer women as vice-chancellors. These are issues to be addressed.”

He, however, suggested education as the greatest tool to address the marginalisation of women.

On her part, Grace Ike, an Abuja-based female journalist, said, “In spite of efforts so far made, the journey towards achieving genuine equality remains fraught with challenges.”

According to her, women’s voices must persistently be amplified to ensure every woman is afforded the opportunity to be seen, heard and valued.

(NAN)