By Anietie Akpan
The Coordinator, Office of the First Lady, Akwa Ibom State, Lady Helen Eno Obareki, has declared that there is more work to be done to completely eradicate gender disparity in the society.
Lady Obareki who made this known during the 2025 International Women’s day celebration on the theme “Accelerate Action”, which took place at the Ibom hall grounds, Uyo, March 8, however acknowledged the significant progress made towards equality for women in the state.
Regretting that girls are still being denied access to education while women are not allowed to serve in leadership positions in some parts of the country, the First Lady Designate, in a press release from her Media Unit, said although women in Akwa Ibom have fared well in the Administration of Governor Umo Eno, more work needs to be done to ensure women are given equal rights and opportunity in the society.
Obareki, described Governor Eno as a gender-friendly leader who prioritizes women’s inclusion in governance, highlighting that under his administration, women have been actively involved in leadership positions, with four women appointed into the State Executive Council, five female chairmen, 26 female vice executive council members, and over 130 female councillors and supervisors across various local government areas.
“In various parts of the world, Nigeria inclusive, there are setbacks. Girls are still denied access to good education and women are underrepresented in leadership roles. This casts a shadow on our celebration and reminds us of the need to recommit ourselves to accelerating action by ensuring that every woman, regardless of background, where she lives or worships, has the opportunity to thrive,” she said.
The Coordinator said that, the various empowerment programmes of the Golden Initiative For All (GIFA), are targeted at giving women a voice in the society:
“As an organisation, the Golden Initiative For All, GIFA, has worked extensively on giving women the needed voice in our society. Through our various empowerment programmes and advocacy against Gender Based Violence, we have provided vulnerable women with lifelines to mitigate the challenges they encounter.
“Under my watch, GIFA remains committed to rolling out life-saving opportunities to vulnerable women in our state. By God’s special grace, in the coming days and weeks, we will use our various channels to accelerate action in a bid to scale up the dignity of women in multiple domains”, she added.
In his address, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, congratulated the womenfolk on their day and saluted them for their innate ability to nurture whatever is committed to their trust, pledging an all inclusive government where women are given full premium as seen by the many appointments made.
The Governor, added that he will continue to support the women and inspire them for greatness, stating that the Office of the First Lady will be empowered to act decisively against all forms of Gender Based Violence and all obnoxious practices against women.
As a mark of appreciating the women, Governor Eno announced the empowerment of 15 female drivers under the platform of the Akwa Ibom State Female Commercial Drivers Association with 15 brand new mini-buses for their transportation businesses and also directed the Ministry of Women Affairs and that of Youth Development to collaborate and work towards providing a young female automobile electrician with a workshop and tools once she is done with her internship in May.
Welcoming the Governor, Government officials and Akwa Ibom women to the event, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Inibehe Silas stated that the 2025 International Women’s Day is a time to reflect and celebrate the incredible contributions of women in all spheres of life noting that theme of the celebration “Accelerate Action”, is a powerful call to everyone to step forward, take charge and work relentlessly towards advancing gender equality and empowering women and girls to realize their full potentials.
In a keynote address, a retired Permanent Secretary, Mrs Bassey Eshiet, condemned in strong terms the obnoxious cultural practices such as female genital mutilation, child marriage, land and property inheritance, gender parity meted out on women, calling on the women to take up opportunities in education and modern technology.
The event featured march-past by the women from the 31 Local Government Areas and special performances by women from the Uyo, Eket and Ikot Ekpene Senatorial Districts, as well as exhibition of agricultural products from all the Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State.
Among those in attendance were the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, Wife of the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mrs. Margaret Otong, State PDP Chairman Elder Aniekan Akpan, Government officials, Professional women groups, Socio Cultural Organizations, Stakeholders and various women Organizations.
