Abuja:The Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development is commemorating its 34th anniversary on October 17 with a renewed emphasis on innovation, inclusion, and women’s empowerment.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Dr. Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, the Director-General of the centre, announced the installation of the centre’s first wheelchair accessibility ramp, constructed by Julius Berger at no cost to the government as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. This development follows an accessibility audit conducted in partnership with the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities.
Dr. Benjamins-Laniyi, who assumed her position on June 1, had refused to use the Director-General’s office upstairs until accessibility was improved. This decision was influenced by an incident in August when Ms. Lois Auta, a board member with a disability, had to be carried by five men to attend a meeting. Recently, Auta was able to enter the building independently for the first time using the new ramp.
In addition to the ramp, the centre plans to redesign its auditorium ramp, which has previously caused accidents due to poor construction. The centre is also advancing disability inclusion in other areas, promoting a visually impaired staff member to head a directorate in the ICT department, and enhancing technology and empowerment programs across its six zonal offices.
The centre is collaborating with partners like the High Commission of India and the UN Population Fund and is working with the National Gallery of Art to launch a public portal, ‘First 66’, where Nigerians will select 65 living women icons, with First Lady Sen. Oluremi Tinubu listed as the first.
Dr. Benjamins-Laniyi encourages women to support each other, promoting the ‘She for She’ initiative as a counter-narrative to the idea that women don’t support each other. She also encouraged women who have contested elections to maintain their focus, emphasizing the importance of their role in paving the way for others.
The centre is being repositioned as the front office for the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, in alignment with the Women O’Clock declaration by the Minister, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim.