The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen has expressed excitement towards working with women in leadership positions for the betterment of the female gender both locally and internationally.
The Minister who revealed this while receiving the Ambassador of Burundi to Nigeria, Her Excellency, Marie-Jeanne Ntakirutimana who came on a courtesy visit to the Ministry today, 13th September, 2022, expressed the wish to see more women appointed to such position.
“Looking at all the female foreign Ambassadors, we had ten before you came; I think the number is eleven now which I hope, some have not left. The last time I had meetings with all female Ambassadors, we worked closely during COVID-19”, the Minister revealed her excitement.
Tallen who warmly received the Ambassador and her entourage in company of the Ministry’s Management team stated that “Apart from women being mothers of the nation; it is not too common to find women in leadership position on the African continent like the Burundian Ambassador is occupying.
While commending the envoy for her visit, Tallen posited that Burundi is a sister country to Nigeria admitting that she enjoy a cordial relationship with the Country’s past Ambassadors to Nigeria.
Tallen observed that as most challenges across African countries are the same, the problems faced by women in both countries are similar.
According to the Minister, “women work so hard for little pay; women are not acknowledged and given their rightful positions; particularly, in the political space.”
She further observed that Kenya has however broken the records by having seven female Governors that have just been sworn in.
In a statement signed by the Press&Public Relations Director of the Ministry, Olujimi Oyetomi, Tallen urged the Burundian Ambassador to work closely with the Ministry, as she equally called on African leaders to concede more positions to women if they want the African continent to move forward.
Citing Rwanda as a clear example within African continent where women held sway mostly, the Minister pointed out that the Country has the highest number of women at controlling heights of governance and the private sector.
According to her, in Rwanda, women’s participation in the Judiciary is 50-50; in Legislature, it is 62%; in the Executive, it is 62% and compared to Nigeria, we have less than 7%.
Speaking earlier, Her Excellency, Marie-Jeanne Ntakirutimana who spoke through an interpreter thanked the Minister for warmly receiving her team. She stated the objective of her visit being to strengthen the cooperation already existing between Burundi and Nigeria.
The Burundian Ambassador intimated the Minister that her country’s Minister of Women Affairs will be glad to work with Nigeria on issues concerning women in general, maintaining that there is a need for the two countries to partner for the advancement of women’s cause on the African continent.