The Lagos State government has restated its commitment to prioritising women’s development and promoting gender equality, rights, empowerment, inclusive environment and governance in line with programmes of the current administration.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu noted this on Friday while speaking as the Special Guest Of jonour at the Lagos State Ministry
of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation 2025
International Women’s Day Celebration themed:
“For All Women and Girls: Rights, Equality, Empowerment, #Accelerate Action” at Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan,
Lagos Island.
In his keynote address, the governor said his administration would ensure a deliberate action to change the cause of women to assume leadership roles, to accelerate their businesses through empowerment across all sectors.
Sanwo-Olu has challenged all government agencies, private sector leaders, civil society organizations, and individuals rise to champion change, to build a Lagos and indeed a world where every woman can dream freely, achieve boldly, and succeed without barriers.
He noted that there is a need to act with urgency to dismantle systemic barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create opportunities where every woman can thrive in the state and the country at large.
According to Sanwo-Olu, the event is a powerful reminder of the essential role women play in shaping societies and driving progress.
The governor said his administration would ensure a deliberate action to change the cause of women to assume leadership roles to accelerate their businesses through empowerment across all sectors.
This year’s theme, he noted, “serves as a clarion call to move beyond rhetoric and take bold, decisive steps toward achieving gender equality and empowering women.”
The theme, according to him, underscores the urgency of addressing persistent inequalities and barriers that hinder women from realizing their full potential.
In Lagos State, we are not just echoing this theme; we are embodying it through deliberate policies and initiatives that empower women across all sectors.
First Lady of Lagos State and Mother of the Day, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, stated that the government remained committed to women’s welfare through impactful initiatives, skills acquisition, ending gender based violence and creating an environment where every woman could thrive.
Bolaji Cecilia-Dada, the Commissioner For Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, commended the state government for its support.
She urged law enforcement agencies, community leaders, and all residents to join hands in creating a society free of violence and discrimination.
Guest speaker at the event, Prof. Olurorimi Coker, Consultant Psychiatrist, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital LASUTH, while lamenting the rising cases of maternal depression, Prof. Coker, said that it is caused by rape, unemployment, stigmatisation, domestic violence, among others.
He proffered solutions to depression to include walking away from stressors, dancing, singing, loving oneself, improving social relationship, relaxing and sharing one’s problems with trusted people.
