New Telegraph

There should be more accountability, transparency in social intervention programmes –Onyesoh

Joy Onyesoh is the Nigerian president, Women International League for Peace and Freedom and the CEO Women Situation Room Nigeria. In this interview with DEBORAH OCHENI, the founder, Joyonyesoh Foundation talks about lack of accountability and transparency in the distribution of covid-19 palliative and the presidential Conditional Cash Transfer and other issues. Excerpts…

Activities have been low-key as a result of Covid-19, what have you been doing?

I’ve been doing quite a lot since the COVID-19 pandemic started fully in Nigeria. I wear different hats and so on the different fronts that I represent I have been doing a number of things.

I would start with my foundation. We embarked on a palliative distribution for indigent women and also indigent children and we ran this for 12 weeks. We went to rural communities and some of the urban slums in some of the South East states to distribute palliatives. We also used that period to build skill sets in virtual communication and teamwork.

On the front of Women Situation Room we’ve been very active in running webinars on women’s political participation, looking at the political landscape that would promote more representation for women. So we’ve been engaging subgroups of women at different levels.

Then on the organizational level which is WILPF (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom) Nigeria we have been actively involved in implementing several projects in some states of Nigeria focused on addressing and responding to imbalance against women and girls, social and gender based violence, harmful practices and also promoting sexual reproductive health rights of women and girls.

So I must say that it’s been very busy and engaging. And we do know that we’ve been living in very uncertain times.

The Federal Government recently approved National Policy on Aging for older citizens; what’s take on this?

The National Policy on Aging is a welcome development; a country that doesn’t take care of its aged population is doomed to fail. So, it is a welcome relief that we have started thinking long term, because we all pray to grow old and we need to have safety nets for the aged population. We do know that most of them have very little income saved. 90 percent of them have little income saved and this can create a lot of liability if not properly managed. So the policy is a welcome development, and beyond the policy what I really love to see is its implementation. And for it to be very well implemented there has to sensitisation, awareness and engagement of different stakeholders. Because even though it’s a policy for the aged it is also a policy for all. We all have a collective responsibility to take proactive measures to ensure that we care for all categories of citizens of Nigeria and I’m happy that the Federal Government has taken a bold step on this. But we want to see how the implementation would look like and also ensure that there is budget earmarked for the implementation.

As All Progressives Congress (APC) has flagged-off registration of members, the Minister of Women Affairs has charged women and youths to seize the opportunity to become politically active. What message is the WSR sending to women as regards registration and active participation in politics in Nigeria?

WILPF Nigeria is a non-partisan platform. It is a platform for ensuring women’s active participation in peace and security of the country. It also looks at promoting more representations for women while actively creating awareness on the benefits of non-violence especially during the electoral process. So the message we are sending out to women regarding registration and active participation in politics is “it’s your right, it is your political and civic rights, please do exercise it.” And you have a right to vote and to be voted for and I would encourage you to get registered in any political party of your choice and to speak out when you face any form of violence in any of the spaces. We would keep preaching, we will keep taking action to ensure that women anywhere can vote and be voted for and that most of the barriers that are hindering women from participating in politics are dismantled.

In terms of outreach, what has the Women Situation Room done to keep women going especially the rural women?

We work in most rural communities in fact our coordinators are drawn from the communities in which they reside in. So what we’ve been doing is building their capacity to engage, building their capacity to understand what the local issues are and how they relate to national issues, making them understand their rights and also creating a platforms for their voices to be heard as well. So we recognise the pool of knowledge that resides in the rural communities and also the level of expertise that cannot be discountenanced which also resides in the rural communities, and so we’ve been working with them to ensure their active participation in the political process and also in peace building processes.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, has promised to work in synergy with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in order to mitigate all forms of violence against women and children. What should women do to ensure the safety of their children?

Times are really difficult; there are a lot of challenges and evil going on in society right now. For mothers I would encourage them to know where their children are. It is never too early to start teaching your children about the different forms of violence that exist in the society and also ensure that they understand how to protect themselves. We need to start teaching them these things and opening up that space to ensure that these conversations happen. So that the children feel comfortable expressing whatever it is they’re going through, that you may not have noticed and you can then address it appropriately. I would encourage mothers not to cover evil. There are some forms of sexual violence going on even in the domestic spaces and I would encourage you to speak out! You need to recognise that your child has a right, a right to be safe, a right to live and experience a healthy childhood. Please protect your child, know where your child is and it’s important that you engage your children in frank conversations.

Women have been clamouring for equality of power with their male counterparts, are you impressed with the activities of women who are occupying some elective and appointive positions in the country? What is your assessment of the Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq on the distribution of palliative and Conditional Cash Transfers in Nigeria?

There have been a lot of unanswered questions around the distribution of palliative and conditional cash transfers in Nigeria. We saw what happened during the #EndSARS protests and we are also seeing what is happening; I’ve seen very gory pictures of women huddling together trying to get access to the cash, there’s really a whole lot of questions and my take is that it could be done better. There could be more accountability and transparency in the process.

What is your message to Nigerian women especially parents of children with special needs in these trying times?

The country is facing such uncertain times and gradually we are beginning to understand the new reality of our new normal and it is even more distressing. It is even more challenging for families with special needs kids. I am a mother of a special needs child and I know the challenges we faced during the lockdown, it’s not been easy. But one thing I want to encourage mothers or caregivers of special needs children about is that you cannot give up, we just need to keep pushing but unfortunately our country has not done enough to put into implementation certain laws; so you would find that for people who don’t have their own means of mobility, accessibility is a key issue. Accessibility to education, accessibility to public spaces, having special schools that are affordable for all to attend is also an issue. So there’s a whole lot happening out there. I know how it can be, it can become very depressing. So I would ask that you ensure that you have a valid support system that can support your family. Also, listen to your child depending on their condition; engage with the child more and ensure you create a love filled and caring environment for the child to thrive.

Read Previous

IbomAir CEO, Capt Udom, tasks govt on aviation insurance

Read Next

Gov’ship poll: Power must shift to Benue South in 2023 –Abba Moro

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *