New Telegraph

We need to achieve gender parity – Women

As the world celebrates the contribution of women to global development by setting aside March 8 of every year to mark the International Women’s Day (IWD), Nigerian female industrialists, philanthropists and renowned entrepreneurs have expressed commitment to rescue the country from failing leadership, governance and fragile economy.

 

The amazons, who have registered their presence in the country’s organised private sector scene, declared their positions to our correspondent as part of their contributions to mark the day.

 

They also said they were prepared to work with their male counterparts in order to make Nigeria a better place to live in peace and harmony, with businesses thriving under a conducive environment.

 

Those who spoke with New Telegraph included immediate past President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mrs. TokiMabogunje; aformerNationalPresident, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Iyalode Alaba Lawson; Chairman, Lagos State chapter of Nigerian Association of Small scale Industrialists (NASI), Gertrude Akhimien, and immediate past National President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Hajiya Saratu Iya Aliyu.

 

According to them, the International Women’s Day is about achieving gender parity, women having equal access to leadership opportunities, betteraccesstofinancetoenable more women establish and grow their businesses, more opportunities to engage in the policyspace to engage withmen in creating an enablingenvironmentforbusinessestothrive.

 

In her submission, Mabogunje explained that women should be given opportunities in managingthecountry’seconomy and improvingtheGDP, havingbeentestedinthemanagement of their own different businesses in key sectors of the economy. She said: “So it is really about men and women working together on managing the economy.

 

There is no doubt that if more women are engaged in managing the economy with men, there will be improvements in the economy.

 

“The diverse perspectives of men and women, approaches, strategies etc. will only servetobettertheeconomyforthegoodof all.” For Alaba Lawson, she said women in the private sector could drive Nigeria’s economy by pulling it out of its current economic woes and instilling deeper economic integration if given the chance to take a shot at governance at the highest level.

 

On her part, Akhimien, the NASI Chairman, Lagos State, explained that the time had come for more women to participate in more electivepositions, especiallyasthe2023general elections approached.

 

Akhimien said: “Certainly a lot of the improvements in development that we seek as citizens and the prosperity that we desire as a people and as a country can be achieved through increased representation of women in the political space.”

 

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Lobby for revisit of gender equality bill, Atiku advises CSOs

 

FormerVice President AlhajiAtikuAbubakar has called on civil society groups to lobby the executive and the National Assembly to revisit the gender equality bill in ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution.

Atikuinamessagetomarkthisyear’sInternationalWomen’sDay( IWD) celebration, said gender equality rests within the corridor of policy formulation at the governmental level.

He condemned the sweeping rejection of some proposals in the present constitution reviewbytheNationalAssemblythatwouldgive women some advantages, and said it amounts to throwing awaythe baby with the bathwater.

 

“I believe that the civil societies must continue to lobby both the executive and legislative arms of government in driving home the agenda. The process could be incremental, but we must never get our hands off the cart,” the former vice president advised.

 

We must fight for gender inclusiveness, says Oluremi Tinubu

 

Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, yesterdayfelicitatedwithwomenacrosstheworld, especially in Nigeria, over the celebration of International Women’s Day, stressing that gender imbalance barriers must be broken. In a statement she personally signed, Tinubu commended women for their doggedness and forthright in fighting social vices against women.

 

She said: “This year’s theme, ‘Break the Bias’ is apt, particularly in light of last week’s Constitutional Amendment votes. Imagine a situation where we have more women in the NationalAssembly, imaginehowmuchdifference our voices will make.

 

“Imagine a world where women occupy more managerial andexecutive positions, and how much more our interests will be represented.“ For any of thistobepossiblehowever, we must break the bias.

 

There are hurdles we must cross, but we must put aside our differences if we must achieve a lot. “Onthisjourneyof ensuring genderinclusiveness, weneedoneanother. Wemustrealise that despite our differences, we are comradesin- arms, working towards the same goal.

“Whatroleareyouplaying tochallengegender biases and discrimination in your Community?

 

What are you doing as an employer to bridge the gender wage gap? “I salute and celebrate Nigerian women andourcounterpartsallovertheworldonthis commemoration of International Women’s Day, 2022.

“I am proud of the work you are doing to improve the lot of women, and I am especially proud of everyone who in spite of opposition, continues to speak up for us and the causes that affect our gender.”

 


 

Governance: Ourlegislatorshavefailedus-Women

 

...says enough of injustice, time to restrategise As women in Nigeria join their counterparts to mark the 2022 International Women’s Day (IWD), they have resolved it was time to restrategise, and ensure women were included in policy and decision making in the country.

 

While noting that members of the 9th National Assembly have not only failed women, but shown they still saw women as people who should be relegated to the background, they insisted that women were critical to any nation’s development and as such, the continued rejection of women as key components of development was only dragging the nation backwards.

 

Executive Director, Centre for Transparency Advocacy, Faith Nwadishi, who spoke to our correspondent in Abuja, noted that the recent rejection of Bill’s relating to women at the floor of the National Assembly, was proof that Nigeria’s democracy was not ripe enough to recognise women as a critical number, and that the country has failed to equally recognise the contributions of women to nation building and the successes they have made as women.

 

She said: “The men have failed Nigeria; we have so much allowed them to carry on with the way they are carrying on.

“For a very long time they kept saying when the time is ripe I wonder when the time will be ripe for women to sit at the table because the whole conversation around creation and production starts with the women.

“The woman plays a critical role but when it comes to decision making they feel women should not be part of the conversation so the men have completely taken it into their hands; the framework and the power to appropriate who sits on the table for a conversation to happen and that is why women must come together to oppose this.

 

“Women started fighting from the Aba women riot until 1979 when every woman in Nigeria was eventually allowed to vote and now we are fighting for the opportunity to be on the ballot.

“It’s a continuous fight and I amhappy with the way women are reacting to it but we need to do more, especially women in political parties because they are the ones to benefit from these struggles. “They will be the ones to sit on the table at Parliament to discuss from their own point of view. Truly truly the legislators have failed us.”

 

Nwadiahi added that: “We must strive for recognition in the constitution also; all women must come together and cry out against this injustice that is happening to women. “We must come up with strategies on how to ensure that we get this right.

If for instance we decide not to vote for any man at the forthcoming elections, I don’t think there will be men in those Houses making laws for women. “If we decide to vote for women, we will only have women at the Houses and they will begin to beg us.

The only way to achieve this is to carry every woman along, make them understand why we are all part of this conversation.”

Veteran journalist and broadcaster, Chief Moji Makanjuola, who also noted that the National Assembly has failed Nigerian women despite having Nigeria as a signatory to the Beijing Convention1995asking foratleast35% of women’s participation in governance elective or appointment positions, noted that Nigerian men have not demonstrated any sense of equity in governance.

 

She said: “These are very sad moments for women in Nigeria, particularly some of us. This is what we have done all our lives hoping for equity in our lifetime that will allow men and women to rub shoulders and do things on an equal basis in this country.

 

It has affected every strata of development “Women’s issues are treated with such levity. With this review in the constitution, the chances of having young women looking forward to participating in governance in Nigeria has been thrown to the wind. It’s a very sad moment in our national development.”

 

On the best way forward, Majanjuola who is currently the Executive Director, International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH), urged women from all walks of life to come out in their numbers and speak out.

 


Wemuststanduptofightgenderimbalance’

As women across the globe celebrate International Women’s Day, Ebiowou Koku Obiyai, member representing Yenagoa constituency 2 in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly has advised Nigerian women not to be deterred by the things happening in political circles but keep on pushing to see their political needs are met. She said her message to Nigerian women is that they should not be deterred, stressing that: “We have tried and we will continue to push until we get results. “We can’t just abandon this project out of anger or frustration. We should continue to push.

This thing that looks like oppression because if you look at the population of Nigeria, the women are even half of the population of Nigeria. Why won’t our voices be heard?

“This is a clear bias that we must break and we don’t break it because we have been demoralised. We break it by continuous pressure and continuous advocacy, continuous talk and request. I think we can do better in terms of pressuring because we have to move forward.”

 

Also lending her voice, Dise Sheila Ogbise, Chairman, Gender Response Initiative, Bayelsa State and one-time Chairman of FIDA, Bayelsa State Chapter, said for us to break the barrier, they must come together.

She said: “It is clear that we are not together and that is why we have been like this. We should begin to gear up and tell ourselves that we must occupy positions and seats that we can get at the various places that have been declared vacant for election.

 

“So as women, my charge is that we should come together and begin to support ourselves and begin to support as many women that can contest. “We shouldn’t ask for a waiver or reductions.

The more we ask for a waiver, the more we will not be valued. So, let us support our women financially and then you will see that we have that value.” Equally, Elizabeth Egbe, a gender advocate, in her submission, stated that women should be given spaces to lead in various positions.

She said: “I want to use this opportunity to advocatestronglythatwomenshouldbegiven space in Nigeria. “It will be heroic for every man in leadership position to say that women are very important and we want you to make our society better and create special places for us so that women could be properly represented in every sphere of decision making.”

On her part, Chairperson Stand-up for Women Society SWS, Bayelsa State Chapter, Liberator Eunice Nnachi, said: “We can achieve gender equality, social equity and recognise that without gender equality today, a sustainable future, an equal future remains out of reach.”

 


 

We need regular, prompt mental health check – Akinibosun

A certified Forensic Therapist based in the UnitedKingdom, MrsAdesimboAkinibosun, has disclosed that one of the ways to make women function optimally in the society was to ensure that governments unease the socioeconomic and family burdens they bear.

According to Mrs. Akinibosun, most women suffer from depression as a result of the internal pressure they bear, emphasizing that the situation can be disastrous when they react to issues or problems.


Men have done well, says PWDs

Astheworldmarksthisyear’sInternationalWomen’sDay today, personswithdisabilities (PWDs) have commended the effort of men in heading the affairs of the nation.

The Executive Director, Deaf Women AloudInitiative, HellenHellen Beyioku-Alase, hassaidthemenhavedonewellinheadingthe affairs of Nigeria.

 

She made this known yesterday in an exclusive interview with New Telegraph in AbujaaddingthatthePresidentMuhammadu Buhari signed the disability law after much advocacy.

She added: “The men have done well in heading the affairs of the nation; President Buhari (a man) signed the disability law after much advocacy from most disability owned NGO some of which are run by men.”

Similarly, the founder, Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative, Patience Ogolo Dickson, said the male folk have been doing their bit. She said: “I think the male folks have been doing their bit in heading the affairs of the nation but I would say that the women need to be given more chance or opportunity to also lead, that way we may have to see the other side of high level leadership from the side of the female.

 

“The truth is that women have the capacity and ability to aspire high and bring their multitasking qualities into leadership. No longer as it was in the kitchen or just mobilizers but in governance.”

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