National Orientation Agency To Launch Software After Patience Faka Jonathan

January 15, 2014

PRESS RELEASE

FIRST LADY TO LAUNCH NOA EDUCATIVE SOFTWARE

The First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dame Patience Faka Jonathan will on Thursday launch an innovative and educative computer software called “Faka-Edu” designed to enlighten Nigerians on child and maternal health. This will be part of the highlights of a national forum on Mainstreaming Gender in Governance for National Transformation organized by the collaborative efforts of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD).
This was disclosed by the NOA Director General, Mr. Mike Omeri while addressing a joint press conference with his NCWD counterpart, Onyeka Onwenu in Abuja on Wednesday.
Mr. Omeri observed that although the 2006 census indicates that women constitute about 49% of the country’s population, this had not resulted in total mainstreaming of gender equity in politics, governance and national development. This reality, he said, had been identified by the Transformation Agenda of the current administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan which is building on the concerted efforts of stakeholders to mainstream gender in politics, governance and in the private sector for national development.
He therefore said the NOA and the NCWD were working towards affirming the 35% Affirmative Action for Women in politics and decision making which has been attained under the present administration and to advocate for a 50:50 representation by 2015. The NOA, he also noted, was advocating an increased enrollment in girl-child education in Nigeria and the game software, which was developed by a staff of the NOA along with his partners, to be launched by the First Lady was designed to address some of the education needs of the 21st century Nigerian woman.
On her own part, the NCWD Director General, Onyeka Onwenu was emphatic of the right of women to contribute to national development, especially through elective offices. She called on Nigerian women not to vote for any politician in the 2015 general elections who has no track record of supporting women.
Onwenu also disclosed that there were on-going efforts to push for a binding agreement by all political parties and aspirants in 2015 to mainstream women if elected into office, stressing that there can be no development without women.

Paul Odenyi
Chief Press Secretary