The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), an international non-governmental organisation operating in Nigeria, has partnered with journalists, civil society organisations, youth, community, and religious leaders to eradicate traditional harmful practices denying women and girls their rights to own housing, land, and property in Borno State.
At a roundtable discussion in Maiduguri on Tuesday, NRC’s Country Advocacy and Communication Manager, Sabiu Suleiman, noted that the partnership aligns with NRC’s commitment to ensuring equitable housing, land, and property access and promoting gender-inclusive policies protecting vulnerable populations.
According to him, the decade-long Boko Haram insurgency has left vulnerable women and girls with their rights unfairly denied, including their entitlement to own land and property as human beings.
Suleiman explained that “stakeholders,” particularly journalists, have a critical role to play in advocating for and supporting the NRC’s drive to protect women and girls’ rights in the North-East region and Borno State in particular.
“This gathering seeks your support and cooperation to promote awareness and collective action to influence cultural practices limiting housing, land, and property rights for women and girls.”
“NRC has implemented projects for internally displaced persons and vulnerable groups in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, and Plateau states since 2015, focusing on water, sanitation, and hygiene, livelihood and food support, education, protection from violence, information counselling, and legal assistance,” he said.
Speaking, Borno NUJ Chairman, Comrade Abdulkareem Haruna; NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel Chairman, Comrade Inusa Ndahi Marama; and Global Environmental Response Initiative Executive Director, Amaji Ngare Dogo, in their separate remarks, commended NRC for organising the parley and pledged to support NRC in protecting women and girls’ rights in the state.
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