Federal Government has expressed satisfaction with Ogun State’s investment in addressing gender-based violence (GBV), following the successful establishment of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) and Women Development Centres (WDCs) across the state through the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP).
Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaam Sulaiman-Ibrahim, gave the commendation during her working visit to Ogun on Tuesday, where she toured the Asero SARC in Abeokuta.
The Minister noted that the facilities demonstrate how government intervention can directly touch lives, assuring that the Federal Government will continue to partner with Ogun to ensure survivors have access to justice, counselling, and economic reintegration.
She warned that gender-based violence remains a pressing national concern, pointing to statistics which show that 31 percent of Nigerian women aged 15–49 have experienced physical violence, while over 28 percent have suffered sexual violence at least once in their lifetime.
“These figures are not just statistics. They represent daughters, sisters, mothers, and neighbours whose dignity has been violated. Gender-based violence is a community crisis, and we must respond with urgency and compassion. The facilities I have seen in Ogun are encouraging, and we will strengthen collaboration to sustain them under the Renewed Hope Social Impact Programmes,” she said.
In her remarks, the Ogun State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Adijat Adeleye, affirmed that all SARCs and WDCs in the state were built and equipped by OGSTEP.
She described the centres as fortresses of healing and empowerment, urging more federal support to expand their reach and impact. “If Ogun has lit the fire through OGSTEP, we need the Federal Government to keep the flame burning with more interventions,” she added.
Also speaking, the wife of the Governor, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun, hailed the Minister’s support for women, pledging that Ogun women would stand firmly behind President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu in their drive to build a safer and more inclusive Nigeria.
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