National Council on Women Affairs receives record 154 Memoranda for consideration – Perm Sec Aliyu Shehu Shinkafi.

CHIDIMMA UCHEGBU-Abuja
As the 22nd National Council on Women Affairs, a policy decision making, programme initiating assembly of public officials for the women, children and vulnerable persons’ sector gets underway in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, today, 24th October, 2022, the Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Aliyu Shehu Shinkafi has disclosed that a record 154 memoranda was received by the Secretariat of the Council, scheduled for consideration by Council members.

The theme for the 22nd edition of the National Council is “Gender inclusivity and Women Economic Empowerment; Making the Change Work for Women and Children.”
For today, 24th October, 2022, it is the Technical Session which is the meeting of officials – the Permanent Secretaries, Directors, with some Honourable Commissioners in attendance, are considering memoranda under the guidance of the Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Aliyu Shehu Shinkafi.

Immediately the meeting was called to order, the rendition of the National Anthem, the recitation of the National Prayer and the rendition Women’s Anthem heralded the introduction of Delegates and participants as well as a consideration of Memoranda submitted by Federal Ministry of Women Affairs. Women Affairs Department took the charge followed by Gender Affairs Department and Economic Services Department of the Ministry.

The memoranda sought to improve upon the status quo in terms of economic welfare of women, domestication of the UN-Security Council Resolutions on Women in the Security Sector as well as the political representations of women in public service.

Child Development Department as well as the Planning, Research & Statistics Department followed with no less than two (2) memoranda apiece all aimed at enhancing the status and safety of Nigerian children as well as ranking of States’ Government in the implementation of status of women affairs at the level of the sub-national Administration.

The only Parastatal of the Ministry, the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) also submitted memoranda for information, consideration and approval which have to do with urging States to take advantage of the capacity building and skills development for women which the Centre offers.

The Nigeria for Women Project submitted information memoranda for the Council to note in terms of having improved the records of the Project at enhancing Women Affinity Groups aimed at encouraging sustainable economic fortunes of Nigeria women with the support of the World Bank and other Development Agencies.

The Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) as well as the Health Desk rounded off the presentations from the Ministry.

The Health Desk sought Council approvals for the sustainable management of the reproductive and menstrual health of women which was approved at the technical stage of memo consideration.

The clarity of the presentations of the memoranda and the prayers sought as well as the dexterity of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Aliyu Shinkafi at guiding the session, made the Technical Session to be fast enough that memo presentation by other MDAs such as Federal Ministry of Education, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Federal Ministry of Interior were also taken with a few of such MDAs remaining for the second day of the meeting: Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports, Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy and the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) which could also have been considered but for the presenters of their memo not being around.

It should however be known that the final consideration and approval of all the memoranda considered at the technical session lies to the Ministerial Session of the Honourable Commissioners, presided over by the Honourable Minister on Thursday, 27th October, 2022.

Aliyu Shehu Shinkafi while welcoming Delegates and participants to the 22nd National Council on Women Affairs, submitted that the “Technical Session guides the Council to initiate and implement far reaching policies for institutional strengthening for effective and efficient implementation of the mandates” of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the sector either at the Federal or States’ levels. He therefore followed with an appeal for the “continuous collaboration” and “craved the indulgence” of the gathering “for patience, attention and spirited participation” “to achieve the intended purpose.”