Advocacy: MacArthur Foundation Fetes Imo Female Journalists, calls for more appointive positions for women in the country

BY JENNIFER JOHN / OWERRI

A one-day Media Roundtable to engaging female journalists in Imo State on the imperative to advocate more appointive positions for female politicians through the promotion of the Affirmative Action in the National Gender Policy has ended in Owerri, Imo State capital.

In her welcome speech at the forum held at Rockview Hotels, Owerri, the Convener of the Media Roundtable, Ms Blessing Duru said that apart from advocating more appointive positions for women in Imo State, the roundtable also aimed at deepening the knowledge and understanding of the National Gender Policy 2021-2026, amongst female journalists in the state.

Duru decried the continuous marginalization of women in the sharing of leadership positions in Nigerian states, Local Government Areas and communities.

She called on women journalists to use their reportage and publications help women to remove all barriers against the actualization of women Affirmative Rights, including the psychological defeatist notion that women don’t support each other.

According to her, women should be more vocal and consistent in advocating women involvement in leadership positions in all sectors and institutions of the society, including the traditional institutions.

The Convener further lamented that the 35 percent affirmative rights negotiated for women worldwide has not been actualized anywhere in Nigeria, not to talk of the 50 perfect currently being advocated.

The Media Roundtable featured: Presentation of the current state of gender disparity in Imo State,

Identification of key challenges and opportunities.

It emphasized on the importance and need to promote the National Gender Policy’s 35 percent Affirmative Action and also highlighted what women could do differently to actualize the Gender Policy.

Editor

Jude Ossai (JP) a veteran journalist is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He also studied at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu and Imo State University, Owerri for his first and second degrees in Mass Communication, respectively. He writes extensively on politics, crime, corruption, climate change, healthcare, human rights, social justice, among others.