Fabulous Minds Women Initiatives(FMWI), a non-governmental organization set up to advocate empowerment of women in furtherance of social unity, on March 8, 2025 joined the rest of the world in calling for concerted action to accelerate change through strategic gender partnership.
March 8, a day set aside every year to celebrate women all over the world is an enduring echo that women throughout history have made giant strides in social cohesion and human development.
This year’s celebration is anchored on the belief that true change is possible when men and women unite to accelerate action. To underscore this point, FMWI in partnership with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution(IPCR), Abuja, organized a one-day programme with the theme, “Women As Agents Of Change”.
The event, a roundtable dialogue, featured panelists from varied professional backgrounds such as Mrs Omosehin Romoke, an educational consultant, Mrs Theodora Obayojie, a strategic writer and family therapist, Mr Ugochukwu Okereke, Head, IT, Centrak Bank of Nigerua (CBN), and Dr. Kenneth Onyejekwe, a Consultant General Surgeon, who had robust discussion on the pivotal roles of women in the society and how they can speed up action for impact. The event was hosted by Mrs Betty Agunobi, the President of the FMWI.
Delivering the keynote address, Director General of IPCR, Dr Joseph Ochogwu, who was represented by Mrs. Adesola Olowokere, who represented the DG of the institute, highlighted the many struggles of the Nigerian woman and the steps taken so far to foster inclusivity. She reinforced the need for women to amplify their voices against gender-based discrepancies.
For his part, Dr, Onyejekwe stressed the need for women to break out of self limiting biases and wear their human rights on their fingers, such as right to sign their Informed Consent Form, mandating doctors to save their lives during surgeries (a critical aspect of their right to life) while encouraging men to see women as partners and collaborate with them for a just and equitable society. He urged government institutions to come up with inclusive policies.
In a related contribution, Mrs Obayojie, harped on the need for women to build strategic partnership with the male gender. She noted that it is easier to influence change by taking concrete measures to co-opt the men into women advocacy plans such as giving them specific roles, curating advocacy programmes that offer partnership, and leveraging their ego as subtle ways to make them part of the struggles of women and help them brake away from age-long-cultural programming and biases.
She encouraged women to leverage motherhood as an opportunity to programme their children and to right the foundational wrongs by role interplay between the genders. This, she said will help them build a partnership mind-set, and eradicate stereotyping. Mrs Theodora called on all women to lend their voices against social injustices and embrace opportunities for service.
Also contributing to the discourse, Mr. Okereke advised women to brand their advocacy for change in the African context rather than import and run on foreign templates as this may lead to more resistance.
Mrs Omosehin, the educational consultant expressed the need for fathers to model their daughters in a way that builds resilience, boldness and courage for them to thrive and navigate challenges, referencing herself as a product of a father who understood his assignment in the life his daughters. She also emphasised the need for women to build networks and interface with each other for continuous growth.
