 A non-governmental organisation, NGO, that fights for Women’s Human Rights, BAOBAB, has called on the Lagos State government and other states across Nigeria to domesticate and start the implementation of the provisions of Maputo Protocol. The NGO made the call on Thursday, during the inauguration of its Lagos outreach station after successfully expanding to other seven states including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and Abuja.
The Director of Programmes, BAOBAB, Mrs Anne Adidu-Lawal while speaking on the significance of the expansion to Lagos and also on the Maputo protocol said Maputo protocol is a legal instrument by the African union to protect the rights of women. According to Adidu-Lawal, “BAOBAB was created after years of research to give voice to the voiceless women and girls whose rights are constantly being violated both in the rural and urban areas. She said: “Now, one of the key projects we are working on is Maputo protocol. “The Maputo protocol is a legal instrument by the African union to protect the rights of women. It looks at culture, religion and practices that are specific to Africa. “As an organization, we are sensitising and creating awareness around it so that people will understand the provisions of the protocols and begin to use it to seek justice. “We know that Lagos State government has done a lot in the laws that protect the rights of women and girls but we still want that the state to domesticate it.” Also speaking, the Communications and Outreach Coordinator of the NGO, Ene Oshaba, said the organisation doesn’t want to leave out any issues of women, especially at the grassroots level. Oshaba said: “BAOBAB only wants a better society where males and females will be able to express themselves freely and be able to achieve greater heights, that is why we are trying to expand to all of these states. “We are out here to amplify not just the voice of the women in the urban areas but the women in the rural areas. In fact, we are more particular about the women in rural areas because a lot of them are helpless. “As we are inaugurating the Lagos branch today, we believe that Lagos is a very big city and big state and we know that we have a lot of communities. “We know that a lot of people are more aware in Lagos but we can’t leave those who are not educated because we know that when we carry everybody along, the society will be a better place; and one woman’s problem is the problem of every other woman,” Oshaba stated. In the same vein, Lagos Outreach Coordinator, Dr Olawunmi Oni-Buraimoh, said that the story of BAOBAB was all about resilience, ruggedness, motivation, achievements, among others. According to Oni-Buraimoh , integrity keeps the NGO going and will not go out of its way. Source: Vanguard
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