Coalition Of Women’s National Summit In Honor Of International Women’s Day On 06/03/2022

• Share:

Video Transcript

SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE SPECIAL SUMMIT ON GIRL CHILD EDUCATION, WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND ERADICATION OF DRUG ABUSE IN COMMEMORATION OF WOMEN’S DAY, 2022 AT THE BANQUET HALL, PRESIDENTIAL VILLA ON THE 6^TH OF MARCH, 2022

PROTOCOLS

Asalamalakun jamaha, barrkan ku dazuwa (I greet you everyone, you are all welcome to this event).

I would have continued in Hausa but there are still people here who don’t speak Hausa at all, so for their sake, I will speak a bit of English and Hausa.

I am very pleased to be here with you today at this special Summit on Girl Child Education, Women Empowerment and the Eradication of Drug Abuse in commemoration of Women’s Day 2022.  I am especially pleased to see that all discussions are conducted in Hausa. Ba dogo turenchi, ba dogon jawabi. (Today is not a day for too much grammar).

This is not elite women talking to one another, this is women talking to women. But this occasion has also helped me to find out amongst those I work with, those who do not speak Hausa well. Now I know those who speak Hausa well and those who do not.

But let me emphasize just one point, the education of girls and young women is important for every nation. The poorest countries of the world are those that have low rates of education of women. All rich countries small or large, have over 80% of their women educated.

Nigeria has almost an equal number of men and women, if we do not intentionally educate women it means we are not educating half of our population. There is no way we can get out of poverty if half of our population is uneducated.

If a woman is educated, she is not likely to be poor. If you educate a woman, you educate the whole family because an educated woman will at least educate her children.

But just listening to you today has been so inspiring and encouraging, and I am so proud to be in the company of exceptional women walking in the strides of amazons of history like Sarau Niya, Amina of Zazzau; Nana Asma’u Usman DanFodio; Ladi Kwali; and many others. It also so uplifting to see women and girls taking charge of their affairs and creating paths for the development of others.

You deserve the commendation of all for your sacrifices, in providing support for your families and to one another, in spite of the challenges you have faced in life.

I am amazed by some of the challenging journeys and experiences that have been shared today. Stories of selfless service, resilience, great generosity, and hope, women overcoming major obstacles every step of their paths to success. For me the key takeaway here is hope.

We listened to Habiba Lawal, our Permanent Secretary, Ecological Project Fund who just narrated some of the difficulties she encountered along the way. She has now attained the highest-ranking position any civil servant could attain. She even served at a time as our acting Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

In my office, the lady you see here today doing my interpretation, Balkisu Saidu, grew up in Minannata, Sokoto. She was married off at the age of 13 and had her first child at the age of 14. Today, she is an Associate Professor of Law, and she has been my Legal Adviser on Legal Matters for the past 6 years.

We are all inspired by your determination to rewrite history, to make the best use of the hand dealt to you in order to create meaningful lives, using education as a tool. Daama Akance ilimin ‘air machi gimshiqi ni (There is a saying that education is a shield).

I am also encouraged that with the experiences you have acquired, you are now well-equipped to champion the causes that will better the lives of others; and ensure that women live productive lives in dignity, where their potentials are freely explored.

The exceptional courage and determination exhibited by the champions who shared their stories today should galvanise us all to action. Action in levelling the field and allowing talents to emerge; action in eliminating barriers that hinder the progress of women and girls; action in ensuring gender equity and social inclusion; action in equipping girls and women and preparing them for a life of independence, dogaro da’kai (self-dependence); ensuring the preservation of their dignity daaama akance, mutunci madara ni (there is a saying integrity is like milk, if it pours, you can’t recover it).

I congratulate you all, I thank you for this honour and wish you a Happy Women’s Day. Maaata in baaku, ba gida (women are soul of the home).

I also thank all the organisers of this great event; God bless you all.