British Council mark women’s day; honour women Champions

As part of activities to mark the 2015 International Women’s Day (IWD), British Council and two of its development programmes, the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme (NSRP) and the Justice for All (J4A) programme honoured deserving ‘women advocates and champions’ in three key areas namely: women in peace building, women in public service and decision making, and women in creative enterprise.

March 8^th of every year is celebrated globally as the International Women’s Day. It is a time to reflect on progress made regarding women’s security, rights and empowerment and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by women who have distinguished themselves especially in male dominated environments.

To mark this year’s IWD, the British Council will profile “Champions” through social media, radio talk show, workshops and round table discussions. ‘Champions’ include those who have distinguished themselves in works related to peace building, women’s participation in public service and decision making and women in creative enterprise. .

The identified champions include; CSP Olabisi Kolawole, Dr Rabia Salihu Said, Prof Theresa Nnamdu, Ms Eseoghene Odiete, Ms Emem Ema, Risikat Muhammad, Grace Jerry, Huwaila Ibrahim and Nnaemeka Oruh.

Using its ‘Active Citizens’ network, British Council will support a roundtable discussion at the Bayero University Kano, to sustain the discussion on the role of women in the academia, peace building and enterprise and then share the experience of our women champions with University students. This will encourage more persons to join the drive against Violence Against Women and Girls and support the participation of women in decision making and enterprise. We will leverage the support of the university management to engage men on gender issues and establish networks to tackle gender based violence in campuses.  Our ‘Champions’ will be featured on radio programmes in Kaduna, Kano and Jos where they will share their experiences, rising through the ranks and attaining success in a male dominated work environment. This way, younger women and girls will find success stories in which to draw inspiration.