Abuja, Nigeria - President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday assured Nigerian women that his administration would do everything within its powers to curb violence against women, PANA reported, quoting a press statement from the presidency here.
The statement, signed by presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, said President Jonathan gave the assurance while felicitating with all Nigerian women as they join others across the world in marking the 2013 International Women’s Day, to be celebrated worldwide on Friday, 8 March, 2013.
President Jonathan said 'In keeping with the theme – A Promise is a Promise: Time For Action To End Violence Against Women, I wish to reassure Nigerian women that having already taken very significant steps to fulfill my promise of affirmative action to further empower Nigerian women, my administration will continue to build on its achievements in this regard.'
President Jonathan also pledged the Federal Government’s full support for “COMMIT', the new United Nations initiative which calls on leaders worldwide to take a stand to end violence against women and girls.
President Jonathan fully believes that Nigerian women can be equal partners with men in the implementation of his administration’s Agenda for National Transformation and will therefore carry on doing everything possible to ensure that they are politically and economically empowered to contribute even more positively to the national development effort, the statement said.
It said 'Having already broken gender barriers by appointing women to key positions in government including the first female Chief Justice of the Federation and female ministers for very important ministries such as Finance, Petroleum, Communications Technology, Education, Water Resources, Housing, Environment, Power, Defence and the Federal Capital Territory, and authorizing the admission of women to the Nigerian Defence Academy and their commissioning as combatants in the Armed Forces, the President assures Nigerian women that he is determined to take their empowerment a step forward by working to ensure that they also get better representation in elective offices in future.'
The statement said: 'As International Women’s Day 2013 is marked, President Jonathan also reaffirms his personal commitment to the accelerated reduction of maternal and infant mortality in Nigeria and assures Nigerian women that the Federal Government will continue to work for its attainment through the Federal Ministry of Health and its agencies, as well as international organizations such as the United Nations Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children which he co-chairs.'
Pana 08/03/2013