…As IndustriAll, TUC, NNEW, Sterling Bank celebrate
Stories by Bimbola Oyesola, 08033246177
Nigerian women across all sectors last Wednesday, March 8, 2017, joined women all over the globe to celebrate the International Women’s Day (IWD). From organised labour to the business world, Nigerian women loudly pronounced this year’s IWD theme, “Be Bold for Change.” The day was marked with rallies, lectures, seminars, workshops, and, in fact, with pomp and pageantry, as the women turned out in colourful T-shirts, caps and African attire, all in the mood to celebrate the uniqueness of the day.
The women arm of the IndustriALL Global in Nigeria set the ball rolling on March 7, 2017, when it organised a rally and walked from Jibowu to Ojuelegba in the Mainland area of Lagos State, to create awareness on the need for women to be respected and given their quota in every sphere of the society.
The leader of the group, Oluchi Amaogu charged men not to only pay lip service to the achievement of 40 per cent representation given to women at all union organs, but to vigorously support the cause morally and financially.
Amaogu called on women to rise to the challenge of leadership, “affirmative action of 40 per cent is not by sitting at home, it is not supporting men to achieve their dream, but supporting women to attain leadership position. If you encourage every girl child, every woman, you build the nation. ‘Be bold for change’ in relation to woman means woman should be able to move along with globalisation.”
The vice president of IndustriALL Global, Issa Aremu, in his address, noted that the gap in leadership between men and women was about 25 per cent; he, thereby, charged the labour movement in the country to ensure that women get 40 per cent of the union’s leadership.
He noted that this was proposed at the global union meeting held in Brazil late last year and Nigeria should, henceforth, begin to reflect this in all the organs of the union.
He, however, called on women to be involved in union activities, adding that women could only hold position if they were active in the unions.
“We are also using the day to campaign for woman’s rights, because woman’s rights are also human rights. We in IndustriALL have made plans to make women’s efforts count and so we are coming out to organise the unorganised in the informal sector,” he said.
TUC
The Trade Union Congress (TUC), Women’s Commission, chairperson, Oyinkan Olasanoye, in her statement on the occasion, advocated castration of those who raped women and defiled young girls.
“It is important we acknowledge this very fact that any form of violence against women and girls dis-empowers them and, by extension, impoverished families. For me, those who rape women and defile young girls should not be jailed but castrated and I want government at all levels to take drastic action to ensure that the ignoble act is curbed. Let us not wait until it happens to someone close to us before we take action,” she said.
She advised women to seek additional knowledge to maximally unleash their potential, noting that gender equality does not mean women ruling over men but, rather, it guarantees a level playing field devoid of all forms of discrimination.
Applauding those who initiated the day set aside to celebrate the political, social and economic achievements of women, Olasanoye said this year’s theme, “Be Bold for Change,” was a wakeup call to all women to identify their strengths and abilities, notwithstanding the restrictions placed by culture and the society.
She noted that it was wrong to conclude that women were incapable of doing most reasonable things: “That perception is very wrong; we are good managers and multipliers of resources. We are global peacemakers, mothers and housewives, doing vacation-less jobs. Our gender is our strength, so we must not allow anyone put us down.”
She supported the view that Africa remains poor because successive leaders have failed to carry women along, even though women hold the key to Africa’s development, hence women should advocate to be given the chance to maximise their potential.
The president of the Trade Union Congress, Bobboi Bala Kaigama, also emphasised that gender equality was not just a human rights issue but also essential for sustainable development, peace and a prosperous world. He stressed that circumscribing opportunities that empower women and girls was counter-productive.
Kaigama also lamented that, in spite of key international laws safeguarding the rights of women, which several countries were signatories to, the world was still under-performing in terms of gender equality.
Calling on women to take up the challenges until the change they earnestly crave for comes, Kaigama said the TUC was willing to join women in the fight against social vices like rape, genital mutilationou, domestic violence and others, if only women would stop agonizing and start organising.
“Your rights are inalienable and we urge you to resist any attempt to alienate them. And you must never be party to such alienation, by commission or omission,” he said.
The TUC president said every woman has the potential to become the President of the country, only if women can put all their acts together, come up with ideas, critique them and move from there, like Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel and others.
Business community
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), in the spirit of the celebration of IWD, urged the Federal Government to put in place programmes and policies that would ensure equal opportunities for women and men in the country.
President of the chamber, Dr. Nike Akande, said the contributions of women to the growth and development of the nation’s economy have been phenomenal.
“Since Independence, women have continuously braced the odds to emerge leaders in politics, business, sports, academics and in every other profession,” she said.
She noted that the role of women in shaping families was one worthy of celebration as women have selflessly dedicated themselves to the nurturing and upbringing of their children.
Noting that women and children are the most vulnerable in war and conflict situations, Akande tasked government to ensure that women who have been affected by conflict and other forms of dislocations are protected and economically empowered.
“The various internally displaced persons’ camps [IDPs] are populated largely by women and children. We appreciate the efforts of government and humanitarian organisations in alleviating their plights but, evidently, a lot more needs to be done to bring normalcy to their lives. We urge the government, corporate bodies, and individuals to scale up their support for IDPs in all parts of the country,” she said.
NNEW
Mrs. Modupe Oyekunle, president, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW), at the celebration, marked with various presentation from women of repute, said the modern woman has transformed from feminism to mothernism and womanism.
“Today, we make bold to say a woman is far more than those. It is perhaps a notable fact that a woman is the only unique creature that is able to compartmentalise and manage compartmentalised situations without fear of contradiction, our God-given ability to multitask,” she said.
She called on women to rise up to the challenges confronting them, stating that the special day would have been impossible if other women through history had not been bold enough to stand up for the change they desired: “In many parts of the world, many women and girls continue to be marginalised, denied access to education, denied equal opportunity in the workplace and more, but in the midst of it all, some women chose to be bold enough to challenge the status quo and change their lives.”
In her keynote address, Mrs. Dorothy Udeme Ufot, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the theme, “Be Bold for Change,” connotes being bold to make positive change in the society.
“It is not enough for us to initiate gender awareness and ‘Pledge for Parity’ or equality; we must take bold pragmatic action to accelerate positive change towards achieving or moving closer to gender parity. To be bold means to be brave, daring, courageous, intrepid, valiant, gallant, audacious, confident and not timid,” she said.
Ufot opined that gender inequality has remained a major barrier to human development, in spite of the major strides girls and women have made since the 1990s.
“Women have to take bold actions to smash the glass ceiling. They have to be bold for change to take the lead and stand out. Move from awareness-raising to concrete actions,” she said.
Sterling’s One Woman
For Sterling Bank, the IWD was a good opportunity to unveil a product targeted at empowering women to find their direction in life, as it launched the “One Woman.”
According to Omolara Akinfolarin of the banl’s Women Team, Sterling was moved to commence the “One Woman” proposition, not just by statistics but by the stories the bank experience each day.
“We want to make a difference in the lives of women through financial access. ‘One Woman’ is dedicated to be the platform that provides a space for women to thrive, to be heard and to live their best lives,” she said.