ONA OF ABAJI PLEDGES SUPPORT TO END GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN FCT
By: Dominic Idio
The Ona of Abaji and Chairman of the FCT Traditional Rulers Council, HRH Adamu Baba Yunusa, has pledged full support for ongoing efforts to end Gender-Based Violence (GBV) across the Federal Capital Territory, assuring that traditional rulers will use their influence to eliminate harmful practices in their communities.
This is as the Federal Capital Territory joins the global commemoration of 16 days of activism against Gender-Based Violence.
This year’s campaign focuses on leveraging traditional institutions to curb the menace that has for decades undermined the rights and dignity of women and girls.
The Ona of Abaji listed FGM, breast ironing, rape, underage and forced marriage as some of the practices that must be stopped, assuring that traditional rulers would play their part.
His words: “These are the problems we want to eliminate, and I will let our people know that we will solve them,” he said.
His HRH, Yunusa, also commended the First Lady of Nigeria, the Women Affairs Secretariat, and UN Women for amplifying the voices of women.
The 16 Days advocacy train, led by the FCT Women Affairs Mandate Secretary, Dr. Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, visited the palace of the Ona of Abaji in a colourful rally that showcased a united commitment to achieving zero tolerance for GBV in the Territory.
Speaking during the sensitisation, Dr. Benjamins-Laniyi emphasised that traditional institutions remain a highly respected structure capable of partnering with government to eradicate culturally-rooted practices that fuel gender-based violence at the grassroots.
“We are here today to address a critical international issue that affects everyone, even at the local level. These harmful traditional practices, such as Female Genital Mutilation, child marriage, and breast ironing, violate not only human rights but family and community dignity, we can change the narrative from this royal engagement” she said.
She appealed to the Ona of Abaji to deploy his royal influence to phase out all practices that undermine human dignity, adding that her team would return in December for a follow-up engagement to develop a blueprint for eliminating GBV-related cultural practices in the FCT.
Also speaking, the wife of the Ona of Abaji and royal matriarch of the FCT, HRH Hauwa Ibrahim Aminu, also lent her voice, condemning the continued existence of cultural norms that diminish women and girls in modern society.
Abuja Digest reports that this year’s 16 Days of Activism, themed “End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls,” highlights the need to tackle GBV across both physical and digital spaces. Supported by UN Women in Nigeria, the FCT’s activism activities will extend to other remote communities.
Available statistics indicate that GBV remains one of the most pervasive forms of abuse globally, affecting one in every three women. It is hoped that intensified grassroots sensitisation will help reverse the troubling trend.
The event drew the hierarchy of the Ona’s Royal Palace, a large turnout of women and children, development partners, including a representative of UN Women in Nigeria, and staff of the Women Affairs Secretariat.
