Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has described the death of a young lady, Oluwabamise Ayanwole, as sad, shocking, and devastating.
Condemning the circumstances of the incident, the First Lady promised that justice will be served.
“As mothers, we are devastated; we are in shock; we are not happy. Lagos State is not known for ritual killings and we will not tolerate such,” Mrs Sanwo-Olu was quoted to have said in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Office of the Lagos State First Lady, Olubukonla Nwonah.
“Investigations are going on and I am sure there will be justice. Mr. Governor is not sleeping. There will certainly be justice,” she assured.
The First Lady called for a minute of silence in honour of the departed, just as she commiserated with her immediate family over the unfortunate incident.
Speaking further, she urged people to always be security conscious, advising that: “when you see something, say something and do something.”
Mrs Sanwo-Olu made the comments on Tuesday after a rally in commemoration of International Women’s Day 2022.
Organised by the Purple Women Foundation in collaboration with the Nigerian Governors’ Wives Forum, the rally, tagged “One Million Women March Against Gender Discrimination, saw the First Lady and other women marching from the state Secretariat to the House of Assembly in Alausa, Ikeja.
They were received by principal officers including the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa; Deputy Speaker, Wasiu Eshinlokun; Majority Leader, Sanai Agunbiade; Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs, Poverty Alleviation and Job Creation, Hon Mojisola Alli-Macaulay, among others.
Addressing the women, the First Lady described the rejection of the gender bills as an act of brazen discrimination against Nigerian women, calling on the National Assembly to promptly reconsider the bills and approve them.
“Our interpretation of what transpired with this pattern of voting at the National Assembly on March 1st, 2022, is that the progress of Nigerian women has been rejected. All the proposed constitutional amendments were meant to end bias against women and ensure the minimization; if not total removal of barriers millions of women face on the basis of their gender.
“We hereby condemn in no uncertain terms this brazen discrimination against Nigerian women. As half of the population of the country, our voices and our lives matter.
“There can be no development without the full and equal participation of women in all spheres, and any country that continues to deliberately undermine the advancement of women, is simply stifling its own advancement,” she said.
Mrs Sanwo-Olu also urged Nigerian women to remain steadfast and resolute in demanding an end to acts of bias and discrimination, assuring that victory awaits the womenfolk.
“As another March 8th comes upon us, we charge Nigerian women to rise and demand that all the political, economic, social, and cultural biases that keep eroding our dreams and that of our daughters be brought to an end. Our beloved country Nigeria belongs to all of us, men and women, boys and girls.
“On behalf of all the wives of Governors, I stand with our women that have come from all walks of life; I stand with our women that are here from different states. We are here standing for our rights and saying no to the rejection of the gender bills by the National Assembly. We are standing as one,” she said.
