Women in Nigeria
need to take their place in the political affairs of the nation, and
not focus mainly on the managerial and economic issues of the economy.
Career women who
have delved into politics gave the charge at the annual lecture of
Women in Management and Business (WIMBIZ), which was held in Lagos
yesterday, saying that decisions of the policy makers always affect
business.
Sarah Jubril,
former presidential candidate, who was guest speaker at the event, said
the world is presently in need of women who are not ashamed or afraid
to stand for the truth, even when it is unpopular.
“The world needs
women who cannot be bought, whose word is in their bond. Nigeria needs
women who put character above wealth, who possess opinions and a will,
who are larger than their vocations, who do not hesitate to take
chances, who will not lose their individuality in a crowd,” she said.
According to her,
the best women are yet to enter into politics. “We cannot sit down and
watch some men pollute and destroy what we have all struggled to build
up. The best women are yet to be involved in politics. We are part of
the development of political ethics and we should be on a mission to
reunite Nigeria and Africa back to normalcy.”
Olufunmilayo Adunni
Olayinka, the deputy governor of Ekiti State, who also spoke, said
women are constitutionally equipped to be politically active.
“The world is
changing fast and we too should be doing so,” said Mrs. Olayinka, who,
until recently, was a major player in the banking industry.
She, however, said Nigerian women are not maximally exploiting these breakouts.
“It is time to
awake from our slumber. This is a wakeup call. There is an appalling
representative of women in politics today. There are only 8 women in
the Senate and 36 women at the Federal House of Representatives. In
Ekiti, all the 26 members of the state assembly are men. All the 13
local government chairmen in the state are also men.
“This is really
awful. We should rise up to the challenge. Let us say ‘No’ to these men
that see these positions as their birthrights,” Mrs. Olayinka said.
She urged women to
increase their share of the voices crying and advocating for gender
equality. “We must pay more than lip service to women empowerment. The
burden is on us now. Let us stop to agonise and begin to organise,” she
said.
“We tend to push
politics to the background. Getting involved does not mean we would see
an instant result. Getting involved does not mean we should all fight
for political positions,” she added.
She, however, said
women should, in the pursuit of political relevance, not abandon their
primary roles in their home and in the nation at large.
Challenges abound
Mrs. Jibril also
advised women to be ready to face the challenges that would be
encountered in their desire to make things right.
According to her,
some major challenges of politics in Nigeria include indiscipline,
vandalising, hypocrisy, murder, lawlessness, illegalities, rigging,
oppression, envy, assassinations, manipulations, marginalisation,
violence against women, greed, and many more vices which women will
encounter while they struggle to reach their goals.
She said despite these, women would achieve success when they come together and unite towards a common goal.
