Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs), Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has said 60 percent of 10.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria are girls.
Orelope-Adefulire said this at the inauguration of the United Nations (UN) Women’s SDGs Report entitled: “Turning promises into action: Gender equality in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development,” in Abuja, yesterday.
She was represented by the Programme Secretary, SDGs, Alhaji Lamido Waziri.
Orelope-Adefulire also said 35 percent of women and girls aged 15 and older were subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner as at 2017 and added that only 24.8 percent of women aged 15 to 49 years made their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use, and reproductive healthcare.
“The report provides a comprehensive and authoritative assessment of progress, gaps and challenges to date in the implementation of the SDGs from a gender perspective. More importantly, the report highlights issues on the centrality of gender equality in the achievement of all the 17 SDGs and the policies needed to achieve them.
“Remember that 60 percent of the approximately 10.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria are girls. As of 2017, the proportion of women and girls, aged 15 years and older, who were subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner was estimated at 35 percent.
“Similarly, the proportion of women aged 15 to 49 years, who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use, and reproductive healthcare was put at 24.8 percent,’’ she said.
The presidential aide said the Federal Government has been working horizontally and vertically to strategically guide the implementation of the SDGs in Nigeria.
She said SDGs office was also working with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to mainstream the SDGs into their respective sectoral policies and plans.
According to her, “at the sub-national level, we are working with the state governments to integrate the SDGs into their respective policies and Medium-term Development Plans. We are collaborating with the development partners, the organized private sector and the wider civil society, through well-established platforms, to mobilize expertise and resources in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Nigeria.
“We will continue to prioritize programmes and interventions that adequately mainstream gender at all levels of governance,’’ she added.
The UN Women Country Representative, Mrs. Comfort Lamptey, said inauguration of the report in Nigeria was to see how to use it to accelerate the women development agenda of SDGs.
Lamptey said the theme of the report, “Turning promises into action” is a 2030 agenda; to ensure that women enjoy equal rights as well as develop potential to eliminate violence against women.
She said the report also highlighted the need to address inequalities against women, adding that the majority of caregivers in the country are women of which few were being paid for the services.
According to her, 23 percent of women in Nigeria are victims of gender-based violence and so, there is the need to bridge the gender gap.
“There is a need to finance the gender equality goal, monitor implementation, ensure that there is the right data and ensure accountability for gender equality implementation.”
Also, the Executive Director, Women Environment Programme, Dr. Priscilla Achakpa, decried the level of women participation in politics in Nigeria and noted that many state governments refused to take action to give women opportunity in government. She also disclosed that no woman has occupied any political office in Zamfara State since 1999.
She added that there are efforts to ensure that laws that would encourage 35 percent affirmative action are enacted in the state.
