The Abiodun Essiet Initiative for Girls, AEIG, has called on the FCT Administration to allocate 15% of its annual budget to the health sector as recommended by the ‘Abuja declaration’.
The Executive Director of AEIG, Mrs Abiodun Essiet said this during a press briefing on a 2-year project (Promoting the Rights of Original Inhabitants in the FCT), in Abuja on Thursday, with the theme “Improving Access to Healthcare Services and Status of SGBV Amongst Original Inhabitants in FCT”, supported by MacArthur Foundation.
AEIG for the project focuses on “strengthening traditional justice system to combat sexual and gender-based violence, and to improve the capacity of Original Inhabitant ward health system committees to promote access to efficient healthcare service delivery in the six area councils in FCT”.
Mrs Essiet explained that since the project commenced in November 2021, AEIG has partnered with the “Dorothy Njemanze Foundation” and other organisations who work around issues of SGBV, as well as advocacy visits to stakeholders to help create awareness and create synergy in the response on SGBV cases in the FCT, especially as it affects the Original Inhabitants (OI).
She said, “To further bring to the limelight issues affecting the Original Inhabitants in FCT, we held a town hall meeting which was well attended by women, people with disability, traditional rulers, chairmen of area councils, FCT Administration, Ministry of Women Affairs and social development, and representative of the academia.
“We have also mapped out some community schools across the six area councils, to create awareness on SGBV; how to prevent and manage cases, and also raise anti-GBV ambassadors. Through radio jingles, we have also created awareness on SGBV to discourage the culture of silence among victims. During the course of this project, we will also conduct radio programs on original inhabitant gender equality and social inclusion.
“Though we have our core mandate as an organisation, which is helping girls and women thrive in the society, as well as to promote their sexual and socio-economic well-being; but as a member of the civil society, we can’t shy away from our responsibility, to bring to the fore issues affecting the masses or a group of people, hence the need to raise some of these issues.
“The FCT administration should increase the budgetary allocation to the health sector; especially that of the Primary Healthcare Centres which caters for the health needs of the vast majority of the Original Inhabitants, ” adding that “the Abuja declaration recommends 15% of budget allocations to the health sector”.
Mrs Essiet also called on the Area Council Chairmen-elect in the just concluded FCT area council elections, to consider reserving at least 35% per cent of their appointments for women, for gender equality and social inclusion.
