The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has called on the federal government to ensure the school environment was safe for Nigerian children in the face of increasing insecurity in the country.
This is as the association also made case for inclusive governance to ensure more women were in elective and appointive positions.
Its national president, Comrade Ladi Bala, made the call during a courtesy visit on the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, in her office Thursday in Abuja.
She expressed concern over cases of abduction of school children by insurgents in parts of the country.
Comrade Bala, who also expressed concern over the increasing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, disclosed that the National Secretariat of NAWOJ had drawn up programmes and activities around the key components of the Association’s mandate and solicited support towards their implementation.
While appreciating President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing women into key positions, the NAWOJ president asked for the appointment of more women into Boards of Commissions and Parastatal to meet up the 35 per cent benchmark of Affirmative Action.
She said NAWOJ was proud to associate itself with the numerous achievements that have been recorded by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development under the watch of Dame Pauline Tallen.
Responding, Dame Tallen assured that the ministry would partner with the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) on key areas to create a healthier and better society for women and children.
Dame Tallen identified the key areas of collaboration as the girl-child education, gender-based violence, and women participation in politics.
“We must educate the public; we must educate the young boys. We are grooming young people in schools to be ambassadors to protect the girl-child, to protect women from the evil ones within our society that are abusing innocent souls,” she said.
