Determined to reposition and effect changes on women development through reforms, the new Minister of Women Affairs, Barrister Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, has hit the ground running in her new area as a public officer where she hitherto had invested heavily as a private individual over the years.

Her appointment, coinciding with this year's 2023 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) annual global convention known as 78th UNGA, had thrown a lot of credence to her strides to ensure not only women development, but emancipation.

Combining her profession with passion and her new public status, no doubt she had swung into action by tackling various problems bedeviling women development and advocating same policies and programs, towards women participation in all facets.

Uju, not resting on her oars in her series of meetings with critical stakeholders charged with women development, had undergone series of policies and programs framework towards ameliorating the glaring scourge against women and by extension her humanitarian tendencies.

Ohanenye is not only an advocate, but had practiced and clamoured for freedom in all ramifications, particularly at both private and public spheres, in line with the global clamour, tendencies and beliefs.

The Minister who had reiterated the need to adhere strictly to the tenets of 35% affirmation public office appointment to women, also see women as the vulnerable ingredients of good governance that should be protected.

Not long in office, she embarked on series of empowerment, creating awareness across the country so as to give a sense of belonging to the women across all strata.

At the global level, the SDGs Goals 5, clamours for non-discrimination against women and abhors all forms of violence directed against the womenfolk; elimination of all harmful practices against women, recognising their values and domestic works that was largely reserved for women in this clime.

In line with the UN SDGs, Ohanenye will need to do more on equal participation and opportunities for women in the country, even though she was doing enough in the area of empowerment as she recently empowered 520 women.

She had the opportunity of attending this year's UNGA to highlight more on concerted efforts to bring about reforms in equal rights, particularly for the women folk as well as universal access to sexual and reproductive health for the women.

Already, she has rolled out machinery to debut sound government policies that both the private and public spirited individuals could leverage on, adopt it as well as strengthen and enforce it in line with the best practices.

Women in their capacity have the wherewithal to undergo training and display skills in technical and technologically-driven templates; efforts should be encouraged by the Uju Kennedy Ohanenye-led Women Affairs Ministry to mobilise more global support in that regard.

No doubt, the 78th UNGA will be an ample opportunity for her to regularise myriads of inactions against women, away from the insinuation by certain sections of Nigeria society, not in tandem with her mission and vision, but for obvious and no reasons.

For Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, the new Minister of Women Affairs, she is grounded in her new area of managing not only women, but humanity in its entirety.

•Yusuf, a Public Affairs Analyst, writes from Abuja and cold be reached on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com

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