•Eminent personalities at HID Awolowo Foundation Lecture
Women have been urged to deploy their great talents to nation-building by ensuring they participate in politics and governance.
Former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili made the call yesterday at the maiden edition of the Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo Foundation Lecture in Lagos.
Notable personalities across the country attended the event to honour the late matriarch of Awolowo family.
In her keynote address, Mrs. Ezekwesili said women should leave their comfort zone and use their ample talents to change the face of governance in Nigeria and Africa.
In her lecture titled: “Ethical politics, peace, development and security: The critical importance of women’s leadership”, she said it had been difficult to achieve good governance because leaders have not been accountable to the people.
Mrs. Ezekwesili added that women have been marginalised in the term of governance, stressing that men should take responsibilities for the country’s mismanagement.
She said: “Until we are guided to improve the participation of women in our political system, things will not be properly done. We need to have more women in local governments, we need to have more women in state governments and we need to have more women at the centre of our politics.
“There is the need to have more women at our legislature, judiciary and in the executive branch of governance. Women should occupy positions where the collective good of societies are taken. It has been proven that where women occupied such positions there is less corruption.”
She explained that the poor use of the 60 per cent of the country’s human resources was responsible for the backwardness the country is facing, adding that societies where women were recognised made outstanding progress.
The former minister said the country’s political system act as a barrier to the development of women, noting that the system was deliberately fashioned to shortchange women.
“By virtues of our standing today in memory of a woman, who gave everything for the political maturation of the country, we dare to say it is time to devolve the Nigerian political system.
“It is now time for the women of Nigeria to disrupt the existing paradigm that says you must hold the women down because for as long as the women are held down, and we continue to struggle on the current trajectory, the trend analysis does not show any reverse.
“If we care about the generation ahead, we must make sure we put the women exactly at the centre of the management of our communities. Women should no longer be at the margin of community development because women are incredible human resources that we must put to use,” she said.
A discussant and Publisher and Chairman of The Guardian Newspaper, Lady Maiden Ibru, said politics was all about power, noting that nobody would give women power on a platter of gold.
She said what women achieved in the country was due to selfless efforts, noting that women in business were presently contributing to the country’s economic system.
“The time has come for the women to come to the front to say enough is enough. It is the women who are the wives, mothers who actually mould the character of the children to move to the society. Therefore, the role of women in society development cannot be underestimated.”
Presiding Pastor, Latter Rain Assembly Pastor Tunde Bakare urged people of goodwill to support women in the liberation struggle, noting that women signified peace and stability.
He said: “In the Garden of Eden, God already designed how it will work. God put a lot on the woman and expect much from woman. In the part of the country that I come from, when women take decision, nobody can stop them.”
Chairman of the occasion Senator Daisy Danjuma said the HID Awolowo’s roles in the moral and virtues keeping were immeasurable, noting that people from all walks of life visited her to tap from her wise counsel when she lived.
She enjoined Nigerian women to be upright and support their spouses, noting that whatever they did would be rewarded in due course.
The convener, Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosumu thanked the women for the unalloyed support she enjoyed from the Nigerian women.
Those present at the event were Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, former Information Minister Labaran Maku, former Ondo State governor Olusegun Mimiko, eminent scholar Prof. Adebayo Williams, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, Erelu Abiola Dosunmu, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye and Otunba Gani Adams.
Others were Mrs. Abimbola Jakande, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, Alhaji Tajudeen Olusi, Mrs. Abba Folawiyo, Mr. Taiwo Alimi, Arewa Youths leader Shettima Yerima and others.
