The Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) on Thursday charged women to explore and take advantage of the opportunities that the new world, occasioned by COVID-19, has brought.
The Chairman of COWLSO, Mrs Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, gave the charge in Alausa, Ikeja during the pre-event news briefing of the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials’ 20th National Women’s Conference.
Sanwo-Olu, who is the wife of the Lagos State governor, said that there was the need to take advantage of the new world as COVID-19 had practically changed life as it used to be.
She said that the nations of the world were in the ”New Normal” and the ”New Realities” in all spheres of human endeavours.
According to her, in order to take advantage of the new world, the 20th Annual National Women’s Conference will be dwelling on the theme: ”Exploring the Possibilities in a New World”.
”This year, we have again selected a theme geared toward equipping participants with the skills and information to cope and stay above board in these interesting times.
“These are times when the world is contending with unplanned, unanticipated and unprecedented health crisis in human existence – COVID-19 Pandemic.
”As it is the tradition of the conference to strategically empower women to contribute positively to the development of the state and Nigeria at large.
“This year’s theme was carefully selected in line with the ”New Normal” that is now the order of the day.
”COVID-19 has practically changed life as we used to know it. We now have the “New Normal” and the “New Realities” in all spheres of human endeavour.
”As a proactive organisation, COWLSO is already thinking post-COVID where women can explore possibilities in a new world and take good advantage of an unprecedented crisis,” she said.
The governor’s wife said that the conference would be held from Wednesday, Oct. 14, to Thursday, Oct. 15, physically and virtually, in line with safety protocols put in place to curb the spread of global COVID-19 pandemic.
She said that there would be minimal number of dignitaries, resource persons and participants at the physical venue at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, from where activities of the conference would be beamed live to the public.
The programme would be streamed live on www.lagosonline.tv and www.COWLSO.org.ng, Twitter handle – @followlasg and @WeAreCowlso, Facebook – www.facebook.com/followlasg, @WeAreCowlso and @OfficeOfLagosStateFirstLady, Instagram – @WeAreCowlso and YouTube/Google+…YouTube.com/lasgpage.
The COWLSO chairman said that about 6,000 participants were expected to attend the virtual conference, compared to 3,000 that participated in 2019.
She said that the registration fee had been reduced from N50,000 to N10,000 to give opportunity for robust participation.
Mrs Sanwo-Olu said that Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, would declare the conference open, while the Governor of Osun State, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, would be the Special Guest of Honour.
Some of the topics to be discussed include: The Woman’s Physical and Mental Health; Legal Rights of Women: Inheritance, Widows, Gender Quality in the Workplace and Divorce; and Investment Opportunities and Wealth Building for Today’s Woman.
The topics also include Promoting Family Unit as the Bedrock of the Society; Opportunities and Importance of Agriculture, Digital Technology and Social Media; Environmental Sanitation & personal hygiene; Domestic Violence & Rape, among others.
She said that there would be a Walk Against Rape And Domestic Violence by COWLSO on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Ikeja, as part of the pre-conference activities.
On her part, the Deputy Chairman of COWLSO, Mrs Oluremi Hamzat, said that it was heartwarming that the annual COWLSO NWC would be held in spite of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.
Hamzat, who is the wife of the Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, said that it was a clear confirmation of the determination of the leadership to play up issues affecting women and the youth in the state.