Suicide: The looming Health Crisis in Nigeria

“I wish they knew that sometimes; people end their lives out of frustration. I wish they knew that

even though everyone has it rough, people don’t have the same level of resilience,” Shola Ajayi.

This year’s World Health Mental Day coming up on October 10 will focus on suicide prevention. The “40 seconds of action’ is meant to bring attention to the increased suicide rates around the world and how we can help to prevent it. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) ‘close to 800 000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds.[1] WHO statistics show that “suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and is the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year olds globally.”[2]

Suicide: The looming Health Crisis in 2020

In Nigeria, the WHO reports that there are 17.5 suicide deaths for 100,000 population.[3] As the founder of a Foundation that works in mental health, the increasing rates of suicide particularly among the youth population is seemingly alarming. Several such incidences of suicide are reported daily:[4]

On 25 March 2019, the Guardian Newspaper[5] had a picture of an SUV on Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos. That car belonged to a Dr. Allwell Orji who had parked and jumped into the lagoon. He died.

A 500-level Urban and Regional Planning undergraduate of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho, Adesoji Adediran, took his own life inside his hostel room.

In January 2019, a 19-year-old student of Babcock University in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Verishima Unokyur, committed suicide in his parents’ home in Mafoluku area of Oshodi, Lagos.

A manager with a commercial bank, Olisa Nwokobi, shot himself in Lagos due to pressures from a loan repayment debt.

There is a general consensus among psychiatrists, psychologists, and mental health workers that the suicide rates in Nigeria is posing a serious problem to public health system; yet, “suicides are

preventable with timely, evidence-based and often low-cost interventions.’’[6]

Suicide Remains a Criminal offence in Nigeria

In Nigeria, the law punishes persons who attempt suicide. Those who have attempted suicide and failed rather than getting help have found themselves under the long arm of the law. The CNN reported the case of Ifeanyi Ugokwe, who attempted to take his own life and failed.[7] He was arrested and detained. There are several such reported arrests of suicide survivors. Suicide is criminalised under the Criminal Codes. Under Section 327 of the Criminal Code Act, attempting to kill yourself carries a penalty of up to one year in prison (that is where you do not succeed). According to the Code “Any person who attempts to kill himself is guilty of a misdemeanour and is liable to imprisonment for one year.” The law is a holdover from when Nigeria was a British

Colony under the Suicide Act of 1961, which has since been abolished in Britain.

What is to be Done

The focus on Suicide on this years’ World Mental Health Day could not have come at a better time. Nigeria needs an urgent focus on suicide prevention. To do that, we need a comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan and legislation. We need to focus attention on prevention strategies: on stigma and taboo, effective support to survivors and establishment of ‘help lines’ within a coordinated national response. Nonetheless, for ‘national responses to be effective, a comprehensive multi- sectoral suicide prevention strategy’[8] must be put in place and the antiquated holder over law on suicide stricken from the books.

The work of Gede Foundation in Mental Health

Gede Foundation was established in 2003 in Nigeria to bring underserved and stigmatized health and social burdens out of the shadows. Its core competence is rooted on organizational learning and advocacy through action (community intervention) research. The Foundation’s team, through the years, has initiated discussions and work in the areas of HIV/AIDS and Mental Health – both are highly stigmatized health conditions, especially, mental health in low- and middle- income countries.

Gede’s work in mental health began in 2015 with a prevalence study on depression, alcohol use, and suicidality among people living with HIV-AIDS in Nigeria.[9] In partnership with Basic- Needs UK, Institute of Human Virology in Nigeria and Catholic Relief Services, the Foundation carried out these projects i) Community Mental Health and Development Programme, ii) Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) needs assessment among internally displaced persons, and, iii) Adaptation and validation of mental health screening tools for use among orphans and vulnerable children in Nigeria.

Currently, the Foundation is partnering with Christian Blind Mission (CBM) and Time to Change Global (TTCG) to lead an anti-stigma campaign for mental health in Nigeria. The campaign is aimed at improving public attitudes and behaviours towards people with mental health problems through social contact events, driven by people with lived experience of mental health problems.

Gede’s programme is promoting access to mental health services to people in urban and rural locations with a combination of approaches including establishing Self-help Groups (SHGs) at different settings, and strengthening treatment and referral pathways with mental health service providers.

Why is Gede’s Mental Health Programme Important?

Many people don’t consider mental health relevant to them. They don’t believe mental health problems are likely to affect them or people they know. But the reality is that mental health can affect anyone. Statistically, 1 in 4 of people around the world will fight a mental health problem at some point in their life. In Nigeria, an estimated 20%–30% of the population are believed to suffer from mental disorders.

World Mental Health Day

To learn more about our work on mental health visits us at: http://www.gedefoundation.org.

World Mental Health Day is organized by the World Federation for Mental Health. This year’s Day is supported by WHO, the International Association for Suicide Prevention, and United for Global Mental Health[11]

Jennifer Douglas-Abubakar, PHD, LLM

Founder

Gede Foundation

13Danube Street Maitama Abuja

Nigeria

"If you or anyone you know is facing depression and/or suicidal thoughts, please call these numbers 08091116264, 08062106493, 08092106493."

Sources

[1] https://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/

[2] https://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/

[3] Who Health organisation

[4] Guardian 25 March 2019

[5] https://guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/worrisome-rising-cases-of-suicide-in-nigeria/

[6] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide

[7] https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/30/health/imprisoned-suicide-illegal-nigeria-intl/index.html

[8] Who Health Organisation

[9] http://www.gedefoundation.org/prevalence-study

[10] https://bit.ly/2lX1osh

[11] https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2019/10/10/default-calendar/world-mental-health-day-2019-focus-on-suicide-prevention

Gede Foundation Holds First Social Contact Event

As our regular readers will know, Gede Foundation recently trained 20 champions for the Time to Change Global Pilot programme. On Saturday, September 14th, 2019, the Foundation held its very first social contact event. 

A social contact event is an event where people (trained champions) with “lived mental health” experience have one-on-one conversations with people without lived mental health about their own experiences.

 The event was held at Jabi Lake, Abuja and started at around 10am. The champions were in high spirits as the people encountered were mostly positive and curious to learn more. This made the champions more willing to talk to people about their own experiences. Our partners from Christian Blind Mission (CBM) were present for the first event. There was also a lot of support from Time to Change Global (TTCG). 

Bitrus and Miracle

Our regular readers will recall that TTCG has been using this approach for 12 years and they have seen that it helps in stigma reduction towards people with mental health problems. 

Overall, Gede's Founder, Dr Jennifer Douglas- Abubakar, Board of Directors, partners, champions and Staff  members were very happy with the first event.

Please visit the blog regularly for more updates. Our second social contact event will be on World Mental Health Day - October 10th, 2019. If you would like to be a part of it, please visit Gede’s Twitter and Facebook for regular updates!

On Becoming Champions

The week of July 29th through to August 2nd, 2019 was a busy week for Gede Foundation. We had training of champions (who are people with lived experience of mental health problems and work to end stigma and discrimination), stakeholders meetings as well as story gathering. These events occurred concurrently and with the support of Time to Change Global (TTCG) and Christian Blind Mission (CBM).

 TTCG has been working in the United Kingdom for 12 years to end stigma and discrimination associated with mental health problems. Their approach, which is having one on one conversations between people with lived mental health experience and those without, has shown that there is significant reduction in stigma and discrimination. This approach is being replicated in 5 countries, namely Ghana, Uganda, India, Kenya, and now, Nigeria.

The training, alongside other activities started on July 30th, 2019. Twenty (20) champions were trained by the coordinator from Gede Foundation - Zunzika Thole . It lasted for two days and had a lot of activities to prepare the champions for Social Contact, which is where they will have one on one conversations mentioned above. The champions were educated on the differences between mental health, mental wellbeing and mental health problems. Furthermore, they shared how they have been discriminated against and how this project will help curb the stigma and discrimination. 

By the end of the training, the champions were made aware of some of the things they aren’t allowed to do, such as be experts on mental health or become counsellors as they are not trained specialists - they are only experts of their own experiences. 

On Friday, 2nd August, Ruth Stone supported 8 champions to prepare them on how to speak to the media about mental health problems as well as how to respond to difficult questions which will no doubt come about as the project goes further.

The main activity within the anti-stigma campaign for mental health pilot project is the Social Contact Event. Gede's Board of Directors, led by the Founder, Jennifer Douglas-Abubakar approved the engagement of a Project Coordinator and 20 'Champions" to run the event

Please come back to the blog as there will be a lot more exciting news and events as the project unfolds!!!

GEDE, TTCG AND CBM VISIT STAKEHOLDERS IN PREPARATION FOR TTC PROJECT TAKEOFF

Gede Foundation, Time to Change (TTCG) and Christian Blind Mission (CBM) visited relevant stakeholders in Abuja from July 29 through August 2 2019. The aim was to explore partnership opportunities with government agencies and networks, which, essentially, will help in achieving the objectives of a planned pilot project on anti-stigma for mental illness in Nigeria. Recently, the 3 organizations entered a tripartite agreement to address stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness.

The team visited Karu Behavioral Medicine Unit, Federal Ministry of Health, National Orientation Agency and Network of People living with HIV-AIDS in Nigeria.

Each of these 4 organizations have specific areas and ways in which they would contribute to the success of the pilot project including i) treatment and care for people with mental illness at the community and facility levels, ii) policy development and access to implementation guidelines for mental health services delivery, ii) information dissemination and reporting at all level and, iv) community mobilization for behavior change against people living with HIV-ADS and mental illness.

In addition to other challenges, stigma and discrimination were rated high as a major barrier in accessing   quality mental health services both at the community and facility levels.

It is hoped that stakeholders’ efforts in this project will help confront stigma and discrimination in anticipation of a significant uptake of mental health services beyond the pilot project cycle.

The team comprised of Godwin Etim (Gede Foundation,) Jeremy Boglosa (Gede Foundation), Joe Odogwu (Gede Foundation), Philip Ode (CBM) and Polly Newall (TTCG)

GEDE AT CHILDREN AND ADULTS-AT-RISK SAFEGUARDING WORKSHOP

Gede Foundation participated in a 3-day training on “Children and Adults-at-Risk Safeguarding Workshop” from 18th to 20th June 2019, in Abuja. The workshop was organized by Christoffel-Blindermission (CBM), also known as Christian Blind Mission, for its partners in Ghana and Nigeria. The training aimed to build partners capacity in formulating safeguarding policies, and ways which they could be implemented, as this is central to CBM’s Ethics and Code of Conducts in service delivery. 

The workshop was declared opened by CBM’s Country Director in Nigeria, Bright Ekweremadu, whose keynote address welcomed participants and also gave directions on the utilization of the outcomes of the workshop.

A combination of presentations and group works helped in the delivery of the workshop contents.

Sessions were led by Jackie Kwesiga from CBM Uganda and Doris K, CBM Togo which  focused on the following areas   i) the value of safeguarding, ii) the scope of protection and safeguarding, iii) child abuse and its symptoms , iv) simulation of incident management, v) the concept of adults at risks and what constitute abuse, vi) developing a safeguarding policy, vii) safeguarding in health programmes, viii)  programme specific risks to children and adults, and,  xi) safeguarding risk assessment.

At the end, participants showed understanding in various sessions as demonstrated in the outcomes of group works where samples of Risk Assessment Templates and organizational safeguarding Plan of Action were produced. It is expected that participants will organize a step down training to colleagues and, subsequently, mainstream safeguarding into its policies and programme areas.

TIME TO CHANGE, GEDE FOUNDATION AND CHRISTIAN BLIND MISSION SIGNED A PACT

On 29 May, 2019, approval was granted from Gede's Board of Directors and its Founder, Jennifer Douglas-Abubakar to enter a tripartite agreement between TTCG and CBM on piloting an anti-stigma campaign, addressing mental health problems in Abuja, Nigeria

Time to Change is a project based in England and Wales, involving a growing movement of people changing the thinking and actions about mental health. The campaign is run by charities— Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, where thousands of organisations have joined to make the necessary change happen.

In Nigeria, the  project will help to improve public attitudes towards people with mental health problems, reduce the amount of discrimination people with mental health problems report in their personal relationships, and make sure even more people with mental health problems can take action to challenge stigma and discrimination in their communities, in workplaces, in schools and online.

The campaign will build in sustainability from the outset; the overall ambition is to support local champions and partners to embed anti-stigma work within local communities and organisations, and to robustly evaluate impact to enable learning to be shared and funding secured beyond the lifetime of this programme.

The Time to Change Global Programme is funded by the UK Government via the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) and is managed by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Kindly visit the website in a couple of months to read more on the project activities.

Understanding the terror of suicide and how to help a suicidal person

“Attention seeker”

“I’m also in your shoes”

“I had it worse but here I am”

“I failed several times but nothing happened. I’m still alive”

“I have a bad marriage too, so what’s your problem”

“You can’t go through with it, weakling!”

“You’re just ungrateful for life”

“You’re not the only one feeling the bad economy”

Each time a person talks about their misfortune, somehow, we instinctively want to acknowledge that pain by relating it to our situation. Sometimes, it’s not done out of spite. Sometimes, it’s out of fear or confusion. I remember a day in my childhood when I crossed a busy road without looking, and almost got hit by a truck. When I got to the other side, my mum landed a big “abara” across my back (good ol’ African smacking). I was so confused as to why she did it. But as I grew, I understood that she didn’t do it to hurt me intentionally. She was genuinely scared, and that was her reaction. The point is, when we’re scared and confused as to how to handle a situation, we react in a way that might hurt the person we’re looking out for. However, that’s not ruling out the fact that some people are just plain insensitive.

I lost a friend to Suicide a year ago, and every day, I wish it didn’t happen. I wish I knew she was battling with her mind. I wish I was available to help. While I understand that all these regrets won’t bring her back, it doesn’t reduce the level of pain I feel each time I remember.

MJ or known as mama J wasn’t depressed or suffering from a mental illness. She got overwhelmed with bills, got frustrated, held on to a horrible marriage because her church encouraged suffering and praying and holding on to a cheating, abusive, and quite useless husband. On a hot Sunday, she came back from church, got a bottle of pesticide and drank the content. Apparently, she had been talking about being tired of everything but each time she said it, people around (my grandmother included) would say “It is well o. Everybody is just tired o. This Nigeria is hard”. When she overdosed on pills in her workplace, her colleagues said she did it to get a raise as life is hard for everyone too. “No need to kill yourself over unpaid rent abeg”. When she died, they posted pictures of her with captions of how sweet she was. Na so e dey happen.

I wish they knew that sometimes, people end their lives out of frustration. I wish they knew that even though everyone has it rough, people don’t have the same level of resilience. It’s just like an alcohol threshold. One time, I got drunk and sat quietly in a corner for a full hour. My roommate on the other hand, danced and practically raped the floor, then danced around with so much energy before throwing up on her bed. What doesn’t kill you might make you stronger but push your friend under.

I’m not sure one can understand suicide if you’ve not really tried to end your own life. As someone who has attempted it more than twice, I’d say it’s a very liberating, scary, and frustrating task. One moment, you’re sure. The next, you’re not so sure anymore. The first time I attempted it, I was so sure I needed to go away. So I overdosed on my Antipsychotics. When I started getting cold feet (My feet was literally getting cold) and my chest felt heavy, I clumsily picked my phone and tried to reach out for help.

A friend told me a while ago “Sometimes, you don’t really want to die. You just don’t want to feel the pain anymore”. When you reach a point a despair, your mind is clouded to the point where you don’t see any other way out. So you don’t hear that “Suicide is not an option”. You don’t hear that “Keep going”. Just like David Foster’s quote about Suicide and hopelessness, nobody understands the terror of jumping like the person who makes the jump. “You’d have to have personally been trapped and felt flames to really understand a terror way beyond falling”

I see a lot of people say “So why did they let the world know before they tried it. They’re simply not ready to die” and other awful comments, so I asked a friend who had updated her Whatsapp status moments before attempting Suicide why she made it known. Her response was “I was so tired. I just wanted people to know I had tried to hold on for so long. I also wanted some assurance. I needed someone to let me know there was something worth living for. Even when I really just wanted to die. It’s very weird but I sort of needed reassurance, and there’s a thrill in knowing that you’d take your own life. It’s the same thrill you feel when you take a dope picture and see the ‘finish upload’ tick before it’s posted on Instagram”

Here’s a quick fact about Suicide. Most people who have suicidal thoughts do not carry them through to their conclusion. Yup. It’s very true, and I can see why some people might shame someone who isn’t successful with an attempted suicide. The shame might make the suicidal person try it again. It’s similar to a do or die affair. You either help the person get better or worsen the whole thing. You see, suicidal thoughts are common, and many people experience them when they are undergoing stress, bad economy, heartbreak, frustration, grief or experiencing depression. So dear internet people, LET PEOPLE SPEAK UP! LET THEM EXPERIENCE THEIR PAIN THEIR OWN WAY BECAUSE YOU COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND BEING IN ANOTHER PERSON’S SHOES. You can relate, but understand? I’m not so sure.

The internet tells people to get help. “If you are suffering from depression or are suicidal, don’t suffer in silence” yet attack them as soon as they speak up. “Nobody is perfect” yet you expect perfection.

I’d like to share few things you can do when someone says they’re suicidal (even when it’s on Twitter and you feel the person is trying to seek attention. This is because you really can’t say when a suicidal ideation is real. And I understand that sometimes people genuinely want to help but don’t know what to do, so here goes:

• Put religious sentiments aside and try to avoid saying “It is well, you’ll be fine, God forbid, You’re too strong for this, you’ll overcome, you just need money” I know those are the Nigerian first aid help phrases, so avoid them. I can truly tell you they don’t help that much. I’d just roll my eyes as a suicidal person.

• Get a close friend or family member to reach out to them or stay with them till that feeling passes.

• Send them sweet and encouraging text messages, tell them they can rant to you, tag @MentallyAwareNG on social media (if it’s an emergency) to reach out to them. Now, if your friend confides in you and it’s not an emergency, please, don’t go posting their names on social media seeking for help. You can reach MANI to help you with what to say or how to get through to your loved one.

• Be quiet and don’t interject when they’re talking to you. Don’t try to sound smart or woke or religious. They won’t get it or it might just irritate them. Also, don’t leave them alone for long.

• Try to make them see a counselor or psychologist afterwards. (I had a friend who told me his heart skipped a beat when I told him to speak with a therapist. You can be subtle and say “Would you like to speak with someone who might understand better and is trained to make you feel better. You can always still rant and talk to me. I’ll be here. But it’ll mean so much to me if you do”) Don’t say you understand when you don’t.

• Avoid saying things like ‘you have so much going on for you’ ‘you have a good job’ or you have money na or ‘others have it worse’ as It makes their pain seem insignificant, and by saying that, you’re either going to make them feel ashamed or angry, and they’ll either stop communicating with you or end up carrying out the suicidal attempt much later.

• Be kind to everyone. You don’t know what they’re going through. One insensitive word can trigger harmful thoughts. Not everyone looks like what they’re going through. BE KIND TO PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY ON THE INTERNET. IT’S ABSOLUTELY FREE.

In summary, let people speak their truth, be empathic and sensitive to other people’s pain. You may have it worse, you may have failed Jamb 20 and 1 times, you may have lost your parents earlier than Arya stark, you may be in a broken marriage, you may have lost your job just last week, you may be running at a business loss, you may be battling with a mental illness, you may be planning a difficult breakup, you may be on the onset of a relapse, I just want to say I’m sending you love, light, and truckloads of virtual hugs. Share with others too, help them get help, let them speak!

Love, 

Shola Ajayi

Culled from Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative

*If you or anyone you know is facing depression and/or suicidal thoughts, please call these numbers 08091116264, 08062106493, 08092106493. 

So Sad: UNN 1st class student Chukwuemeka Akachi commits suicide, leaves suicide note

A 1st class student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN Chukwuemeka Akachi, has committed suicide after dropping a suicide note on Facebook.

The first class final year student of English and Literary studies had been been having a long battle with mental health.

His message read:

“Suicide Note.
Forgive me. In case you are the one who found the body, I am really sorry. It had to be someone, you know. I have chosen Jo Nketaih’s poem as my suicide note: “They said you came looking for me. I didn’t drown; I was the water.” Where do atheists go to when they die? lol. Amen.”

Akachi died yesterday, after leaving a suicide note and revealing his long battle with mental health on Facebook.

*If you or anyone you know is going through something similar, please call these numbers for immediate help 08062106493, 08092106493

Culled from here.

End of BasicNeeds USA Project

As our regular readers would recall, Gede Foundation and BasicNeeds USA entered into a partnership to strengthen Self Help Groups (SHGs) and to provide referral pathways for mental health pathways from the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) to a secondary healthcare centre such as Karu Behavioural Medicine Unit (KBU). 

Since March 2018 that the project has been in existence, over 200 people have been funnelled through the SHGs, to the PHC and finally to KBU. The goal was for service users to ultimately be able to sustain and maintain their mental health issues, with support from the Foundation and BN USA as opposed to ‘helicopter parenting’. The monthly meetings by SHG  in Mpape and Mararaba helped members to discuss their challenges among themselves and they contributed money to assist those with difficulties in accessing drugs and treatment at the health facility. That in itself, is the true definition of a SHG.

Mr. Sunday Itoro, carer of a beneficiary from Mararaba gave a goodwill message regarding his ward, who lives with epilepsy. He explained that before the intervention, the boy was plagued with seizures almost everyday. However, since he started medication, he has been doing relatively well and only has seizures when he goes off his medication.The clinical Psychologist at the event, Samuel Jinadu advised him to never go off medication unless advised by a qualified professional. He noted that this is what usually allows even stronger relapses as the illness is suppressed with medication but once that is taken away, it returns with full force. Many more beneficiaries gave their testimonies and noted how they or their users have benefitted from the project. 

The whole crew!

Pastor Ishaya, from Mpape brought on the stigma that is never ending. He appealed to everyone present, especially the Foundation and donors to focus more work on destigmatisation. He noted that there have been people who have lost their jobs, their self-worth because they are stigmatised against.  He was open to a livelihood support programme which will empower households to generate income in order to sustain treatment for those whose recovery take longer period.

The event ended with a Q & A session with Mr. Samuel Jinadu where he advised everyone present that they should always do what the doctor prescribes and reiterated that mental illnesses and epilepsy are not spiritual conditions. They are medical conditions that can be managed.He also advised on adherence to doctor’s prescriptions in order to ensure optimal care and quality treatment outcomes.

Please return regularly to the blog as there is more news set to come!! The project may have ended but the SHGs will still be functional and continue to raise awareness, as well as support one another. For more regular updates, please visit our Facebook page, as well as our Twitter.

Int’l women’s Day: FG launches electronic dashboard to fight gender-based violence

Bimbola Oyesola and Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja

The Federal Government, has launched an electronic dashboard to document and track gender-based violence, which it said was in the increase, in commemoration of the International Women’s Day, yesterday.

Director General, National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Mary Ekpere-Eta, disclosed this to newsmen, in Abuja, and also, explained that the documentation would go a long in reducing such vices that have given Nigeria a bad name.

She added that the theme of the event; “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change,” should spur relevant agencies to arrest and prosecute offenders of gender based violence, and also, rehabilitate victims.

“Working towards the actualisation of the theme and also, provide social protection for women, the Centre, in collaboration with the office of the wife of the president, has established a gender-based violence electronic dashboard to improve documentation and set up tracking mechanism of gender based violence trends across the country,” she said.

In a related development, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said Nigeria and other developing countries need to rejig their developmental models to accommodate more women; if they are to record substantial progress and harness the full potential of their human resources.

The governor said Edo has shown the light in this regard, with prioritisation of women in development, shown through robust gender mainstreaming policies and programmes as well as the enactment of laws that protect women and other vulnerable persons from abuse.

The governor said this in commemoration of the International Women’s Day celebrated every March 8, by the United Nations and its sister organs.

“The celebration is something we look forward to every year because we value our women in Edo and have worked to empower them.

“We have demonstrated this by appointing an adviser on gender and assistants in all the local government areas of the state to interface with women and ensure that their affairs are brought to the limelight.”

Meanwhile, President of the NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW), Mrs. Modupe Oyekunle, has said beyond the present 35 percent representation which government seems to adhere to, Nigeria women now want 40 percent.

She said: “The theme calls on us to look at those areas where we can actually balance for better, the first is in the area of gender parity. We want a situation where we will have women inclusion in boards and other top positions.

“This is already happening outside, but, we want it in Nigeria; beyond 35 percent, we want 40 percent.”

The women who had earlier held a rally and a march to the Lagos State Government House earlier in the day, had presented a Charter Bill, which has a seven agenda coalition to the Clerk of the House of Assembly.

Prominent on the Bill, th Centre demanded that government policies on women should, henceforth, be chaired by women.

Mrs. Oyekunle said other issues in the bill include urgent attention to problem of multiple taxation, funds accessibility, protection for women in lower business level, need for women to develop themselves to be able to grab opportunity when it comes.

Culled from Sun News Online