Summit wants policy to back First Lady’s Office
A summit on “Emerging Trends in the Role of the First Lady in National Development” organised by the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria in collaboration with Women and National Development (WAND) has resolved that policy and administrative measures are required at national and levels to formally accommodate the existence of the Office of First Lady as “indispensable” and a complement to inclusive governance.
A communiqué issued at the end of the summit, which was released on Saturday said that it will also foster more accountability and transparency in governance.
The communiqué was jointly signed by Dr Batsy Obaseki, the Summit Chair and First Lady, Edo State, and Dr Hajo Sani,
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women Affairs and Administration, Office of the First Lady.
The summit, which encouraged every First Lady to champion an issue or a cause also noted that projects should be structured as sustainable Legacy Projects and not programs that will fold after the initiator leaves office.
It pointed out that projects implemented by First Ladies should not be referred to as ‘Pet Projects’ because such terminology trivialises the importance of the initiatives.
It also suggested that first ladies be more visible in order to highlight their contributions and showcase how important their leadership is at national and sub-national level.
It discussed the dismal numbers of women in leadership and decisionmaking in Nigeria, and challenged first ladies to serve as mentors and champions in order to open doors for more women in public life.
The summit which raised the importance of first ladies as role models for women and youth encouraged them to live up to expectations by being approachable and inclusive in order to avoid negative perceptions and stereotypes.
It urged first ladies to support advocacy initiatives that will facilitate laws and policies to ensure lasting institutional change to tackle key social issues such as gender-based violence, health, education of the girl-child and other important issues.
The summit affirmed the achievements made by Dr Aisha Buhari, her predecessors, and Wives of the state governors in Nigeria.