A CLARION CALL OF STAKEHOLDERS, POLITICAL LEADERS AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS IN IGANGAN, IBARAPA NORTH, OYO STATE

Without mincing words, Oyo state remains one of the states with a high rate of gender violence in Nigeria. The State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Alhaja Faosat Sanni confirmed this during the inauguration of the State’s proactive committee on Zero Tolerance to Gender-Based violence held at the ministry’s conference room at the secretariat in Ibadan.⁣

Day in day out, I ask myself of what gain is my existence, if thousands of girls and women in Oyo state are still facing sexual violence, domestic violence, assault and considered inferior? As an Oyo state indigene; my beloved father was born and bred of Igangan origin in Oyo state while my adorable mother was also born at Eruwa in the same state.⁣

I was informed about the celebration of Igangan day barely two days to the event. Igangan day is a day set out for the development of the town and to celebrate daughters and sons of the land. I considered it a great opportunity to address my people on the social menace.

Immediately, I placed a call to the Chairman of Igangan Community Development Association and explained the objective of the Ladies Connect Initiative :⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
To advance the cause of women and girls through the promotion and protection of their rights⁣;⁣⁣
To address sexual abuse and gender-based violence against girls and women through Legal aid;
To empower women and girls with a good education.⁣⁣⁣⁣ etc.⁣
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He accepted it with open hands and further encouraged me. ⁣

With a renewed sense of commitment and unreserved patriotism, I left Abeokuta on the 7th day of March 2020 to celebrate the IGANGAN DAY. I got to Lafenwa in Abeokuta and was about boarding a bus to Igangan when I saw my father’s friend and his wife travelling to Igangan. He was all I needed for the moment and beyond.⁣⁣⁣
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Oblivious that they had been trying my number and couldn’t reach me since my daddy informed them of my plans to travel to Igangan on the same day, I explained my mission to him and I was surprised, when he told me that he had been following my posts on Facebook (Never estimate the power of social media). ⁣

He introduced me to all the notable people present at the event, ‘this is the daughter of Adeoti’, I lost count of the number of times I knelt down as a cultured lady.⁣⁣⁣⁣
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The event started, I was accorded time to discuss the objective of the organization and the need to address the subjugation of the girl child and women, in the presence of well-meaning sons and daughters of Igangan town.⁣⁣⁣⁣

At Ladies Connect Initiative, we are passionate about empowering the girls and women in our various communities. We remain committed to the advocacy of women and girls rights all over Nigeria.

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