• Minister promises to support training for 10 female journalists

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday declared his commitment to empower women in his administration at the 9th Voice of Women Conference & Awards (VOW2025), held on Thursday, October 2, at the NAF Conference Centre in Abuja. The conference is themed “Nigerian Women and the Power of Collective Action”.

Represented by the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, the president focused on empowerment as a key government agenda: “My administration stands resolute in empowering women as protectors of families, drivers of innovation, and catalysts of the one trillion-dollar economy we are building together.”

He saluted Nigerian women as the “ever supportive and resilient” backbone of the nation. He said, “I salute the 9th Edition of the Voice of Women Conference, holding at the dawn of Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary, a reminder that the story of our nation is incomplete without the strength of her women.”

He stressed the conference theme, asserting that women’s voices are “the heartbeat of our country; echoing, undaunted, unyielding, and rising to shape a future of equity and progress under the Renewed Hope Agenda.”

The president highlighted his administration’s commitment to empower women as “protectors of families, drivers of innovation, and catalysts of the one trillion-dollar economy we are building together.” He expressed hope that the conference “echo as a song of unity, pride, and enduring hope for a more inclusive and prosperous Nigeria”, signalling government resolve to leverage women’s potential in nation-building.

Echoing the President, Vice President Kashim Shettima affirmed that the theme, “Nigerian Women and the Power of Collective Action”, is both timely and timeless, reminding us that women are the backbone of our nation’s resilience and the vanguard of its future. “Under the steadfast leadership of Mr President, we remain committed to unlocking the full potential of Nigerian women as builders of families, leaders of enterprise, and key drivers of our one trillion-dollar economy and national renewal.”

Earlier, Minister of Women Affairs Sulaiman-Ibrahim praised the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda for prioritising women’s empowerment and social development, highlighting government initiatives such as the Nigeria for Women Programme (NFWP) Scale-Up that has “directly reached over 500,000 women across 6 states, mobilising more than ₦4 billion in savings through Women Affinity Groups.” She also commended legislative leaders for championing the Reserved Seats Bill, calling their support “a continental and global statement that democracy without women is incomplete”.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim, in her keynote address, traced the historical resilience of Nigerian women—from the Aba Women’s Protest of 1929 and the Egba Women’s Revolt of the 1940s to the democratic struggles of the 1990s. She remarked, “Nigerian women have always risen in moments of challenge to shape the destiny of our nation,” asserting that the conference theme “speaks to the reality that true gender equality cannot be achieved in isolation.”

The minister underscored the critical need for collective efforts involving government, civil society, development partners, the private sector, and women themselves.

She advocated strongly for the Reserved Seats Bill, describing it as “not an act of benevolence; it is an act of justice and strategic necessity.” She pointed out Nigeria’s low female political representation, noting that “women occupy less than 6% of seats in the National Assembly”, far behind the African Union target of 50% and global averages.

She concluded by announcing support for Women Radio to train 10 female journalists.