The Co-ordinator of the office of the First Lady of Akwa Ibom State, Lady Helen Eno Obareki, has urged policymakers and stakeholders to prioritise inclusive and people-centred governance in Nigeria.

Making her contributions during a high–level exclusive session of the Gender and Inclusion Summit 2025 (GS-25) for First Ladies with the theme “From Policy to Practice: First Ladies as Catalysts for Norm Change and Economic Empowerment,” Lady Obareki emphasised that policy innovation must move beyond abstract frameworks to address the real challenges and pain points of citizens, especially women and young people. She noted that gender equity is not only a matter of justice but also a proven strategy for sustainable economic growth.

“Policy innovation is not just about crafting new ideas on paper; it is about creating solutions that impact families, businesses and communities in real time,” Lady Obareki said. “When women and youths are deliberately included in decision-making, the results go beyond empowerment-they drive progress for the entire nation.”

Lady Obareki, who pledged her total support for the Reserved Seats for Women Bill in Nigeria, which proposes the creation of additional seats in the National and State Houses of Assembly for increased representation of women at all levels of leadership, argued that women are endowed with unique perspectives and experiences that enrich policy outcomes and boost inclusivity.

“As First Ladies, we are pushing and advocating for special seats for women. For me, as a young woman, it is important to note that these reserved seats for women’s advocacy should not be seen as asking for a favour, because with the percentage of women being so low at 5%, what we’re asking for pushes up to about 20% which is still a very low number when you think about it. I am a big advocate for this cause as a young woman, because it provides hope for the Girl Child.”

The Co-ordinator commended the Policy Innovation Centre for convening a platform that encourages multi-stakeholder dialogue; challenging participants in the session – government officials, civil society leaders, academics, women, youth representatives, the private sector and civil society stakeholders- to ensure that recommendations from the conference do not remain as reports but are translated into actionable and measurable initiatives.

“Conferences like this allow us to think boldly, but the true measure of success is in the implementation,” she added. “Nigeria’s future depends on our collective commitment to policies that are equitable, innovative, and impactful.”

She also shared her projections for a future in Akwa Ibom where the girls are confident, economically independent, academically excellent, and have full and equal access to opportunities. “I envisage a future where our daughters are not burdened by period poverty, where every Girl is supported and groomed to realise that their voices are heard and there is no glass ceiling that they cannot break. The Girl Child is powerful, and I want our young girls to understand that we are there for them and that there are laws that we support, advocate for, and will implement. Whenever the Girl Child is violated or abused in any way, we stand for them, speak for them, and if it means someone getting jailed over a crime, then we make sure that we get the full weight of the law applied.”

Lady Obareki thanked the First Lady of Nigeria and National Chairperson of the Renewed Hope Initiative, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for supporting sustainable period poverty campaigns with the supply of sanitary pads to all the states in Nigeria to keep girls in rural communities in school, as well as the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, for his economic blueprint- the ARISE Agenda, which has created an enabling environment for women and girls to thrive.

During the session alongside the First Ladies of Ogun and Imo States, and a representative of the First Lady of Cross River State, Lady Helen Obareki, in responding to questions raised by the moderator of the session from the Nigeria Governors Spouses’ Forum, disclosed plans to train 1000 girls and intentionally switch from charity to sustainable empowerment programmes that will last.

Media Unit

Office of the First Lady, Aks

September 6, 2025.