April 26, 2018

The United Nations on Thursday urged the Plateau government to gazette the Gender Equal Opportunity (GEO) law to facilitate its implementation

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the law, which was passed by the Plateau House of Assembly in 2015, is yet to take effect because it has not been gazetted.

Top government sources have told NAN that some sections of the law were being modified to suit some peculiarities of the state before the document would be gazetted.

But Ms Njeri Karuru, UN Women Programme Manager, told NAN in Jos that the law was critical to ensuring equity and easing women’s access to growth and development opportunities.

“Structural factors have inhibited women’s access to opportunities in the social, economic and political spheres.

“Women form about 50 per cent of the population and sustainable development cannot be achieved if half of the population is left out.

“The GEO law will protect women from all forms of violence and infringement against their rights in public and private.

“It will also eradicate social and cultural harmful practices and eliminate gender stereotyping and prejudices.

“ The law will also promote the engagement of women in peace building processes and ensure
an end to inhumanity, especially as it relates to sexual violence against women and girl,” she said.

She said that the UN was eager to commence the implementation of the GEO law in Plateau by August this year, noting that the law was passed by the state assembly in 2015.

The UN official  commended the Plateau government for engaging 94 women into the state traditional council, and expressed optimism that the gesture would add value to the peace building processes.

NAN reports that the Plateau government, in collaboration with the UN, officially launched the peace architecture report on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, in Jos

The document is to serve as a baseline for advocacy and sensitisation toward sustainable peace on the Plateau.