By Joe Abbah
I picked up my sister who was visiting Nigeria for Christmas from the US from the airport. Because their flight was delayed, they had to drop me off at the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs for some work I am doing there for a client.
My sister asked said: “Ministry of Women Affairs? Nice building but what do they do there?”
Interviewing them, some of what I learnt was:
– ensuring that children are protected during adoptions.
– ensuring social protection for women and children.
– ensuring women have a means of livelihood to be able to nurture their children and families.
-ensuring that children’s brains get the right nutrition and stimulation to be able to develop in the crucial first 2,000 days of life.
– Developing a policy for domestic care givers (house helps and nannies).
– Coordinating with the Ministries of Health, Education, Water Resources, Agriculture, Water Resources and Labour to give women and children a chance of a better life.
– Working to avoid violence against women and girl.
– Advocating that men are not the enemy but are important stakeholders in a quest for a better society.
A lot of work goes in the civil service that don’t make headlines because they are not construction of roads and bridges. A lot of people dedicate their lives to doing unglamorous but vital things. They work for 35 years and retire anonymously.
Your private sector arrogance of targets and KPIs to sell soft drinks can never understand this.
Show some respect.
*Abbah (PhD) is former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reform
So vague. How do we measure the effectiveness of this ministry. Is it the same as the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs?