The High Commission of India in Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja honoured some outstanding Nigerian women as part of activities to mark the 2023 International Women’s Day celebration.
Gangandharan Balasubramanian, Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the event was organised to celebrate and give awards to distinguished Nigerian and Indian women from various fields.
The International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8, in honour of women’s achievements, raise awareness about discrimination and take action to drive gender parity.
The High Commissioner said the event was organised on March 7, so as to have all the stakeholders on board to herald the Day.
“The International Women’s Day is celebrated all over the world and we have so many achievers here in Nigeria. So the high commission considered it appropriate to recognise and celebrate the achievements of these great women on this special day,” he said.
NAN reports that four outstanding Nigerian women were honoured from various fields ranging from Health, Politics, Diplomacy and Medicine.
While three Indian women residing in Nigeria were also recognised from the Business, Education and Culture sectors.
The Nigerians honoured include Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, CEO Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).
Others are Amb. Janet Olisa, Director overseeing Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mrs. Maimuna Habib, Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria.
Adeyeye after receiving her award stressed the importance of women to home and nation building while calling for more women in places of authority.
The Indian women honoured are Ms Ritu Sahajwalla, MD Greenville Liquefied Natural Gas Company Ltd, Ms Sonali Gupta, Principal India Language School, Lagos and Ms Hamisha Abuja, a movie Director/Producer.
Balasubramanian highlighted the immense contributions of women to nation building in both countries and stressed the need for gender equality.
The 2023 International Women’s Day has as it’s theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”.
Highpoint of the event was the presentation of awards to recipients/ cultural exhibitions while there was also the launch of the Abuja chapter of the India women association.
