Elevating women vital to society’s growth – Sanwo-Olu

The wife of the Lagos State governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, says that fortifying women with knowledge and skills would make them relevant in modern economy.

At the opening ceremony of the ongoing 19th National Women Conference at the Eko Convention Centre in Victoria Island, the Convener, Dr Sanwo-Olu, said the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO), a non-governmental organisation, would be investing its energy and resources on implementing projects that specifically aim at strengthening the capacity of women and helping them to build resistance against disabilities that may limit their economic potential.

The event, with the theme, ‘Unlearn, Learn and Re-learn: 21st Century Women’s T.H.E.M.E.S Perspectives/Approach’, hosted more than 3,000 women and was graced by the wife of the President, Mrs Aishat Buhari and other personalities.

The Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said the theme of the conference was aimed at imparting knowledge that would engender value re-orientation and equip women with skills that would make them relevant in the state.

Sanwo-Olu said his administration had redefined gender balance in the state with the appointment of 13 women into key decision-making positions in the cabinet. Empowering women with the right skills and giving them opportunity to be part of the decision makers, the governor said, would set the state on the course of irreversible growth, economically and socially.

Dr Sanwo-Olu also said, “As women, we must strategically position ourselves to take full benefit of the programmes of government. To unlearn means to do away with habits that are outdated and jettison practices that are against public good and public safety.

“In this 21st century, women must also embrace new ideas and innovations to be relevant. Women must learn to think outside the box to fit into the modern society.”

The event featured panels of discussions centred on building entrepreneurial skills for women. Some women whose works and activities empowered the less privileged were honoured at the event. They included founder of Real Women Foundation, Pastor Nike Adeyemi, who received the Inspirational Woman Award “for her dedicated service to the empowerment of women.”