After protest, Women Affairs minister assures of better days
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has reassured members of staff of the ministry of better days ahead following a protest over welfare and administrative neglect. The minister gave the assurance during a town hall meeting yesterday at the National Women Centre, Abuja, convened to ease rising tensions between the ministry’s […]
hajiya imaan suleiman ibrahim
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has reassured members of staff of the ministry of better days ahead following a protest over welfare and administrative neglect.
The minister gave the assurance during a town hall meeting yesterday at the National Women Centre, Abuja, convened to ease rising tensions between the ministry’s leadership and its workforce.
The protest, which took place on September 10, was organised by members of staff of her ministry to demand improved working conditions and greater attention to their welfare.
At the meeting, union leaders and staff members openly presented their grievances. Comrade Anne Orjiobele, the chairperson of the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU) joint union, spoke on behalf of the workers. Acknowledging the minister’s efforts, she highlighted key challenges, including inadequate work equipment, lack of capacity building opportunities and neglect of staff welfare. She also faulted the minister’s perceived unavailability to engage directly with staff since assuming office.
Other staff members also shared personal concerns. Mrs Bumi Obaje, a widow, appealed to the minister to address the plight of widows in the ministry, who often face hardship from their late husbands’ families.
Similarly, a representative of staff with disabilities decried their exclusion from programmes, noting that only one out of 14 disabled staff members had been included in a recent training despite their competence and capabilities.
Responding, Minister Sulaiman-Ibrahim acknowledged their grievances, admitting that some of them were new to her.
“I am a listening mother and will always have your interest,” she said, adding that the town hall would still have been convened had there been more patience and understanding.
She stressed the importance of every staff member to the ministry’s success, explaining that she could not personally handle every issue due to departmental divisions of responsibility. However, she assured members of staff of her commitment and urged them to work with her, promising that “better days are ahead.”
Also speaking, the permanent secretary in the ministry, Dr Maryam Keshinro, called for discipline and loyalty from the workforce.
“We are civil service because we are civil and disciplined,” she said, expressing optimism for a brighter future in the ministry.
In his remarks, Ali Andrew Madugu, director of the Child Development Department, thanked the minister for personally funding several projects, and praised the dedication of members of staff in his department.