Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has bemoaned the negative impacts COVID-19 has had on women in the country.
Mrs Buhari, in a message she released to mark the 2021 edition of International Women’s Day on Monday, said that she was not unaware of the impact the action had on reversing the gains already made on girl-child education.
The First Lady, who has been out of the country for many months and had not been heard about, enumerated the impacts to include disrupted education and careers, lost jobs, descent into poverty, and proliferation of domestic violence.
She said, “Many have also died or suffered due to lack of access to basic information on the pandemic, it is therefore important, not just to continue spreading the message of the COVID-19 protocol, but to remember and support those who have been affected negatively by the pandemic in one way or another.”
She said this year’s theme, “Women In Leadership: Achieving on Equal Future in a COVID-19 World,” is a strong call to appreciate the efforts of women and girls in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.
According to her, “Away from COVID-19, women and girls in Nigeria have continued to suffer abductions both in the hands of insurgents and bandits.
She is sad over the continued abduction of women and girls by insurgents and bandits in the country.
“As a mother, I share the sorrow and agony of the victims and their families. I am also not unaware of the impact that these abductions could have in reverting many successes we have hitherto achieved, especially in terms of girl-child education and early marriages.
“I call on all stakeholders to continue to exert their different levels of influence and bring these abductions to an end and to assure us that girls are safe anywhere they may find themselves,” Nigeria’s First Lady observed.
Aisha Buhari observed that the 2021 edition of International Women’s Day offered yet another opportunity for humanity to review and reflect progress made on issues of women and girls.
The Nigeria’s First Lady expressed her best wishes to women all over the world for their resilience, hard work, and commitment to the progress of humanity.
