The Nigeria Governors Spouses’ Forum, which in the last four years has actively engaged in advocacy and plausible engagements, partnerships and collaborations towards ensuring that Nigerian women and girls are positioned to harness their full potentials, on Tuesday, 5 December 2023 held her fourth annual conference in Abuja. The conference which was themed: “Youth Allies: Bridging Generations to End Violence”, was put together to allow for a high-level policy dialogue on sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria.

Speaking at the conference, the Chair, Nigeria Governors Spouses’ Forum, Ambassador Olufolake Abdulrazaq, commended the impactful efforts of other first ladies in the production of the work plan that led to the annual conference of the forum in 2020. Abdulrazaq, the first lady of Kwara State also emphasised that the forum was all out in the eradication of drug abuse, sexual and gender-based violence amongst other social vices.

Represented by Peju Babafemi, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, the First Lady of Ekiti State, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, who spoke on the theme of the conference, reiterated the commitment of the Ekiti State government to the 16 Days of Activism campaign, while also soliciting more campaigns, programmes and interphase against Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria. The first lady further described the forum as another opportunity to reach out to Nigerians about the dangers of GBV, while also expressing the strength of the spouses of the governors in the campaign against GBV and the overall development of Nigeria as a country.

In her speech, the Chair, Nigeria Governors Spouses’ Forum Board of Trustees and Former First Lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, applauded the forum for keeping the legacies laid about four years ago and urged that all hands must be on deck in order to ensure that GBV becomes a thing of the past in Nigeria. In his address, the chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum and Governor of Kwara State, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq appreciated the spouses of the governors for the support they gave to all governors in the fight against GBV. He promised to intensify efforts to give needed support to all first ladies to ensure justice to all abused and political will to carry out campaigns against GBV in various states of the federation.

In the meantime, goodwill messages were made by the Director General, Nigeria Governors Forum, United Nations Population Fund, UN resident and humanitarian coordinator, British High Commissioner, USAID Director, Canadian High Commissioner, UN Women County Representative UNICEF representative to Nigeria and MacArthur Foundation Director, Nigeria Office.

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