Nigeria’s Senate President Bukola Saraki said on Wednesday that Nigerians must celebrate their women who contribute immensely to “our social, economic and political development”.
Mr. Saraki issued a statement to mark the 2017 international women’s day being celebrated all over the world.
In Nigeria, more than 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 are still missing, almost three years after they were taken into the Sambisa forest.
“We must appreciate the fact that 49.6% of our mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters own or manage 48% of the informal micro-businesses in Nigeria,” Mr. Saraki said in a statement.
“Such numbers are truly significant because they demonstrate that Nigerian women contribute immensely to our social, economic, and political development.
“In everything that we do, we need to be bold for change and work towards the redefinition of opportunities for future generations of women. We need to challenge bias and inequality by standing up when women are excluded from positions of leadership. However, all of this can only be achieved through synergy of effort between men and women.”