By Chukwuma Odi
The Chief of Staff to Ebonyi State Government, Prof Emmanuel Echiegu, has commended the administration of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru for its commitment to gender equality and women empowerment, urging other governors to emulate the model.
Prof. Echiegu gave the commendation in Abakaliki while receiving Prof. Olufunmi Banjo, Consultant to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum on Women Economic Empowerment Policy, who paid a courtesy visit to his office at the New Government House, Centenary City.
He said Ebonyi has set the pace in appointing women to key positions and remains committed to deepening policies that promote women’s inclusion.
“Ebonyi under Gov. Nwifuru is a state that listens to the call for gender equality and women empowerment. This is the only state in Nigeria where you have a woman Deputy governor, a woman SSG, a woman Head of Service, 18 permanent Secretaries, and 13 Vice Chairmen of LGAs who are women.
“Even at the federal level, we have a woman Commissioner of Police, a woman State Director of DSS, and a woman in Immigration Service as head in Ebonyi and still counting,” he stated.
Prof. Echiegu assured that government would provide all necessary support to ensure the success of the Women Economic Empowerment Policy, especially in agriculture, education, labour market, entrepreneurship and emerging businesses.
Also speaking, the commissioner for women affairs and social development, Barr. Mrs. Cecilia Nwankpuma, described the policy as ,”an already existing practice in Ebonyi” and pledged the state government’s readiness to domesticate it fully.
In her remarks, Prof. Banjo said she was in the state to activate a process for domesticating the policy, which is anchored on five pillars and driven by four accelerators.
She noted that the team would conduct Key Informant Interviews, KIIs, with Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries and Directors in relevant ministries to assess the level of awareness and implementation of the Women Economic Empowerment, WEE, policy in Ebonyi.
