Pastor Edewor Egedegbe, the Executive Director of Value Rebirth and Empowerment Initiative (VREI) has unveiled "Male Feminist Network" (MFN) for the South-South region.
Egedegbe officially flagged off the Non-governmental organisation on Friday at the Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Warri Correspondents' Chapel.
Inaugurating the network, Egedegbe urged the men folks to become allies in promoting gender equality and ending gender-based violence.
He said that the initiative sought to redefine masculinity and inspire men to support women’s empowerment.
Egedegbe added that the movement was floated in collaboration with the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD).
He said the initiative was conceived to address deep-rooted inequalities that continued to affect women globally and in Nigeria.
Egedegbe observed that despite years of advocacy, women remained marginalised socially, economically, and politically.
While admitting that women were under- represented globally, Egedegbe said that of Nigeria was quite alarming.
"Across the globe, the status of women remains deeply precarious. Women make up only 27.2 per cent of parliamentary globally.
"The World Economic Forum estimates that it will take 162 years to close the political empowerment gap and 169 years to close the economic participation gap.
"However, in the Nigeria leadership, only 4.7 per cent of members of the House of Representatives and 2.7 per cent of Senators are women.
"These figures are among the lowest in the world.
"Also, at least one in three Nigerian women has experienced some forms of gender-based violence," he said.
Egedegbe said that it was against these backdrops that the MFN sought to redefine masculinity, promote gender justice and inspired men to become allies in the fight for gender equality.
He said that the MFN was not a project, rather, a movement of conviction and transformation.
According to him, the mission of the Non-governmental organisation was among others, to lead advocacy, mentorship and community engagement to drive cultural and behavioral change.
Egedegbe said that the movement also aimed to build a community of enlightened men who promote gender justice, lead advocacy, and support policies that ensured women and girls live in dignity and equality.
“We aim to raise a new generation of male champions who understand that empowering women strengthens families, communities, and nations,” he said.
Egedegbe said that the initiative was being implemented across the South South region with a shared vision to build a Nigeria where men and women could thrive equally without fear and discrimination.
"For too long, gender equality has been seen as a woman issues, gender justice is not women's fight, it is a human fight.
"Nigeria ranks 130th out of 146 countries in the 2023 Global Gender Gap Report, with a maternal mortality rate of 512 deaths per 100,000 live births and one of the highest in the world," he said.
Egedegbe called on men from all walks of life to join the network, noting that gender equality was not a women’s issue but a human one.
"Every man has women as mother, sisters, daughters, auntie, wife, or colleagues around him. Yet in our society, these women face daily struggles of inequality, exclusion and abuse.
"We are saying enough is enough; we are calling on men to be protectors and not perpetrators, partners and not oppressors," he said.
Egedegbe commended the media, civil society actors, and community leaders for their support.
He highlighted the importance of storytelling and advocacy in sustaining gender equality movement, and urged men to be the generation of men remembered for choosing empathy over ego, respect over dominance, and justice over silence.
Also speaking, Prof. Andrew Agboro, Chairman, Delta State Civil Society Organisations Forum, underscored the vital roles of the media in advancing gender justice.
Agboro said the media could challenge stereotypes, raise awareness and mobilise citizens for social change.
He urged media practitioners to use inclusive language, produce gender-sensitive content, and feature women in diverse roles.
The professor added that media outfits should lead by example by adopting internal codes of ethics and gender policies that promote equality within the newsrooms and society.
On his part, Mr Victor Okpomor, while responding to questi
ons, said that women were adequately represented in the media.
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