The International Women’s Day celebration in Nigeria on 9 March turned out an occasion to celebrate the many accomplishments of women since the inception of the Obasanjo Administration in 1999.

Whereas their counterparts elsewhere were marching through the streets on the day demanding better recognition women in Nigeria took time to count their blessing.
Since the coming of the administration, many more women have been appointed into prominent positions in the cabinet and administration with many of them winning accolades for superlative performance.

At commemorative event for the day at the Abuja Transcorp Hilton, President Olusegun Obasanjo pledged to appoint even more women into positions of high responsibility due ‘to their ability to deliver, transform’ and often times perform their duties with ‘transparency and accountability’.

The Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, read the President’s speech.

On the theme of this year’s celebration, which is “Women in Decision Making”, the President said it provided him a forum to rightly accord Nigerian women an excellent performance rating especially who have been appointed by this administration into various positions.

The president said, to strategically respond to the advancement of women under gender equality, development and peace, his government is geared towards improving the standards of women especially in the areas of balancing the perceived gender inequality “through appointment of women into those portfolios that were in the past seen as men’s exclusive schedules’’.

While stating that currently eight of his cabinet ministers are women out of which two are heading finance ministry, another two in charge of education and solid minerals sectors, he also said, women are heading the Bureau of Public Enterprises and NAFDAC.

In the political arena he said, his administration promotes the participation of women in policy and decision making process citing example that out of 50 presidential delegations for the National Political Reform Conference held last year, 20 was allotted to women so as to give them voice in the affairs of their country.

President Obasanjo said in further recognition of the plight of African women and particularly the Nigerian women, the movement has approved the appointment of six women zonal coordinators to increase their political participation in the 2007 elections.


The president said that currently an Executive Bill with regard to the convention against all forms of discriminations against women is before the National Assembly, and called on the Assembly to ensure the speedy passage of the bill submitted to it last year.

He reminded women across the country that they have the right to live in dignity, in freedom from want and freedom from fear, assuring them that his administration will continue to promote policies that will enhance their advancement of women.

“Over the decades from 1985 till date we have seen tangible progress on many fronts, for instance, there is a growing recognition that gender equality is a prerequisite for eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development as stated in the Millennium Declaration,’’ he stated.