Press Releases

Fashola Commissions Transit Home For Victims Of Domestic Violence
• Vows to stem maternal mortality, infant mortality in Lagos

Sep 3, 2009 - The Lagos State Government Thursday took a decisive step towards halting the incidence of violence against women in the State as it commissioned a Transit Home for victims of domestic violence at Ayobo-Ipaja, in Alimosho Local Government Area of the State.

The 176-bed Transit Home, which is the first of its kind in the country, will provide temporary accommodation for the victims who will also be counseled and given the opportunity to learn skills that will make them self-dependent.

Speaking at the official commissioning of the Transit Home, the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), said his administration finds unacceptable ills like violence against women, maternal and child mortality and will do everything it its power to end them.

“I have said before that nobody should underestimate the capacity of the Lagos State Government to change what it does not accept. Maternal mortality, infant mortality, violence against women are the ills this government will not accept and we are ready to do anything in our power to change it”, the Governor said.

The Governor reiterated that these represent some of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which the Lagos State Government is determined to achieve in the year 2015 which has been set by the United Nations adding that a lot can be achieved in the remaining six years.

The Governor expressed joy that the Local Government and the Local Council Development Areas have been very supportive in this regard by running 24-hour health centres wherever they can to address the issues of immunization of children and delivery of pregnant mothers, adding that with such support, “we will get there”.

Governor Fashola, who lamented the prevalence of violence against women in the country, declared, “What we have today are young ladies who are subjected to abuse by battery or by rape by the people who should protect them – men like you and I. I think they are deserving of another name because any man who abuses a woman loses the right to be called a man”.

Noting, however, that these are the ills of the society, the Governor said, “But as we continue to try to fish them out and bring them to justice, we owe a responsibility to those victims to provide a safe haven for them, adding that although the Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) have taken the lead, his administration is now prepared as a Government to show its might and capabilities “by leading from the front”.

He recalled that in the course of the year, he made a commitment that as much as his administration will pay attention to all the plans that form the components of the budget for this year, it will pay special attention to the matters of women and children, adding that in doing that, there has been a list of programmes and policies starting from the Law in 2007 against child abuse and the abuse of women.

“We had programmes for vocational clubs for your children in schools to teach them leadership and community skills”, the Governor reiterated adding that in another programme by a ministry supervised by the Deputy Governor, the Government recorded a successful year of the Support Our Schools programme dedicated to improve the quality of education for children in the State.

Other women and children welfare programmes established by the State Government in the last one month, Governor Fashola said, include Street soccer for the youths to keep them from crime and other social vices and skill acquisition centres which provides opportunities for young men and women in diverse fields.

Commending the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Hon. Ajoke Orelope-Adefulire for working tirelessly to realize the project and other projects related to the welfare of women and children in the State, Governor Fashola said, “Let me emphasize that this is a transit home, not a permanent home”, adding that the Government will continue to work with its development partners to provide mediation and counseling to the inmates.

Responding to the request by the traditional ruler of the area for the rehabilitation of the Ayobo-Ipaja Road, the Governor said a total of 11 roads and four bridges are already being worked on for reconstruction including the said road.

In her goodwill message, the Coordinator of Project Alert, Mrs. Kate Ibianubi expressed the readiness of her agency to explore all avenues to put an end to violence against women adding that the Project will help to safeguard the victims.

Earlier in her address, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Ajoke Orelope-Adefulire, described violence against women and children as an abuse of the right to life adding that WAPA will explore all avenues to bring the abuse to an end.

She said the facility is a 176 bed transit home for women who are victims of violence and will offer among others legal and counseling services for victims as well as give them the opportunity to acquire skills to make them self-reliant.

Also present at the occasion were Mrs. Oyinkan Badejo Okunsanya who represented the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Supo Sasore (SAN), the Special Adviser on Micro-finance, Mrs. Adebisi, other members of the State Executive Council, the Oba of Ipaja, HRM Oba Sylvester Akinniyi among many other dignitaries and top government officials.