TEXT OF
KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OF THE ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS
(APC), GENERAL MUHAMMADU BUHARI, GCFR, AT TOWN HALL MEETING WITH PROFESSIONAL
WOMEN ON MARCH 19TH 2015 IN LAGOS
Nigerian
women have always played a visible and competent role in nation building. In
addition to their various activities, which sustained communities in
pre-colonial times, they also played key roles in the struggles for
independence and the political processes that followed. However, these very
important roles, whilst widely documented, have not been fully appreciated.
In 1995
the 4th United Nations World Conference on Women took place in Beijing, China.
The conference was unprecedented, both in terms of its sheer scale, and in its
outcomes. It represented a new dawn in the search for gender justice and
equality, and it gave women around the world a serious political, technical and
analytical tool with which to demand for accountability from governments and
institutions responsible for advancing gender equality globally.
Twenty
years after Beijing, women in Nigeria have not fully benefitted from the
promises made by governments at the Beijing conference. There is still
discrimination against women in public institutions and in the private sphere,
and women still lack the same freedoms as men, particularly in the fields of
education, economic empowerment and political participation.
Nigeria still has
one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, and there are now
very alarming rates of violence against women and girls. Due to the activities
of agents of the Boko Haram insurgency, we have seen hundreds of our daughters
and wives kidnapped, killed and displaced.
I am on
a mission to restore Nigeria’s fading glory and reposition our great nation on
the path to greatness. I am however aware that this will not be possible
without addressing the needs and concerns of those who constitute half of the
population of this country – women. No nation can prosper without a commitment
to the empowerment of women and girls.
As the father of a number of beautiful,
promising young women, I should know what it means to want the very best for my
own daughters. I do not expect any of my daughters to live unfulfilled, with
their talents wasted and ignored, suffering discrimination at every turn, and
rendered second-class citizens all because they happen to be female.
An APC
government, under my leadership, is therefore committed to the following:
a) Ensuring
that gender is mainstreamed throughout all the government’s commitments in key
areas such as the economy, education, health, security, good governance, power,
agriculture and other areas of national development.
b) Implementation
of the 2005 National Gender Policy, which serves as a roadmap for the promotion
of women’s empowerment and gender equality in Nigeria. So far, there has been
no political will to implement this very critical framework.
c) Promotion
of anti-discrimination legislations and policies to afford women equality and
equity, especially in employment, education, housing and entrepreneurship.
d) We
shall commit ourselves to merit based Affirmative Actions to level the playing
field for women, and provide them with opportunities to be part of
decision-making and governance at all levels.
e) We
will include Gender as a component of the Federal Character.
f) There
will be strong political will to promote Women’s Empowerment and Gender
Equality through dedicating the required financial, human and technical
resources toward this goal.
g) We
will make a concerted effort to empower women in rural areas, who constitute
the majority of the Nigerian women.
h) We
will insist on legislation to ensure a woman’s right to own and inherit
property on an equal basis with men.
i) We
will enforce legal protection for the rights of the girl-child in all areas of
religious, social and economic life, protecting her right to dignity, shelter
and choice.
j) My
administration will have zero tolerance for violence against women and
girls. We will provide women with greater legal protection from all
forms of violence and sexual harassment, and there will be a commitment to the
implementation of all existing legislation on violence against women.
k) We
will improve and strengthen support for women in all sectors of the economy,
through access to capital, training and skills acquisition. We will also ensure
that women have better access to capital and credit facilities for their
businesses.
This is
an abridged presentation of what I have in store for Nigerian women; there are,
of course, many other important issues I am sure you would like to see
addressed. I believe that the most important commitment I can make to Nigerian
women is that they can count on strong political will from my administration,
to ensure that women’s rights are safeguarded and protected. We will not be an
administration that only empowers a token number of women who are in no way
representative of the vast majority of women in this country.
Ours
will be an administration that will consciously and consistently provide
opportunities for as many women as possible, bearing in mind that our nation’s
development depends on this strategy. We will promote a culture of peace and a
respect for the fundamental human rights of women and girls.
Ours
will be an administration that firmly believes that women hold up half the sky.
My
vision is for my daughters, and your daughters, to enjoy a world in which
discrimination will be a thing of the distant past. It might be a long journey,
but with your support and votes, we will be on the right path together.
Nigerian women have been promised so much for so long. I stand before
you now to make a solemn promise that I will not take you or your votes for
granted. After all, it is impossible for me to clap with one hand.
Thank
You.
Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd.), GCFR
APC
Presidential Candidate
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