The Nation Newspaper

Tag: women

  • Nigerian artistes storm UN to change perceptions of women, Africa

    Some Nigerian women artistes on Sunday night “locked down” the UN headquarters complex in New York to spotlight various themes such as human trafficking, suicide bombing, and sexism and sexual harassment.

    Tagged ‘Unity in Diversity: An evening of art and hope with Nigerian women’, was meant to show the strength of women as agents of change in African societies often dominated by men.

    The event, organised by UN Women, UN Population Fund and Nigeria’s Permanent Mission to the UN, with other partners, attracted dignitaries from all walks of life, filling the UN General Assembly Hall to capacity.

    A film featured excerpts from Ms Blessing Itua’s book “We Are the Blessings of Africa” as well as monologues from Ms Ifeoma Fafunwa’s “HEAR WORD!” and Nadine Ibrahim’s films “Tolu” and “Through Her Eyes.”

    Executive Director UN Women Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Ms Ifeoma Fafunwa, Ms Nadine Ibrahim and Ms Blessing Itua during guests discussion at ‘An Evening of Art and Hope with Nigerian Women’ at the UN Headquarters, New York on Sunday Night

     

    Fafunwa’s stage play “HEAR WORD! Naija Women Talk True” is a collection of monologues based on true-life stories of Nigerian women challenging social, cultural and political norms in the country.

    The stage play featured ‘Nollywood’ artistes like Joke Silva, Rita Edward, Bimbo Akintola, Elvina Ibru, Ufuoma Mcdermott and young Odenike Odetola-Odeleye.

    Itua’s book and latest film followed human trafficking routes in Nigeria and Europe and aimed to be a statement about brutalisation of women and sexual violence.

    Nigerian artistes unite to change perceptions of women, Africa at UN Headquarters, New York

     

    It also highlighted the economic reasons that people choose to migrate in the first place and changed some of the misinterpretations about exploitative work practices, forced labour and smuggling.

    Ibrahim’s films followed the internal struggle of a 12-year-old female suicide bomber in northern Nigeria, and to make people understand the rich and beautiful culture surrounding women, Islam and north-eastern Nigeria.

    Nigeria’s Ambassador to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande, said the event, which heralded the beginning of the 2018 Commission on the Status of Women, described it as “a great event”.

    Nigeria’s Ambassador to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande and Permanent Representative of the Observer Mission of the AU to the UN, Amb. Fatma Muhammed-Kyari giving their closing remarks at ‘Unity in Diversity: An evening of art and hope with Nigerian women’, UN Headquarters, New York on Sunday night

     

    “I assure you that this is something that we want to keep doing yearly because of what it means for Nigeria. We have heard stories and stories that empower.

    “We have seen dance performances, we have also seen and listened to rhythms from a very important book from one of our sisters.

    “Clearly, the issues are about change, revolution, liberation and these are absolutely critical for our nation, continent and the world at large.

    “This has been put up by Nigeria but Nigeria is always proud to relate itself with the world but in particular, to its region. Nigeria is part of Africa,” the Nigerian envoy said.

    Some ‘Nollywood’ actresses with other performers at ‘Unity in Diversity: An evening of art and hope with Nigerian women’at UN Headquarters, New York

     

    Permanent Representative of the Observer Mission of the AU to the UN, Amb. Fatima Muhammed-Kyari, commended the artistes for their amazing talents.

    Muhammed-Kyari added: “This evening was not just about an entertainment; I think everyone of the artists had an important message to pass.

    “If there’s one thing you take back with you tonight, I think it should be this beautiful message that Nigeria is an incredible country with incredible people that deserve people and that our diversity is our strength.”

    She said Nigeria’s diversity was part of what held the country together as a people and, therefore, could not afford to dismiss one another.

    According to her, the issues raised, although coming from the Nigerian perspectives, were universal and everyone could relate to the issues that were raised by the performances.

    Some ‘Nollywood’ actresses at ‘Unity in Diversity: An evening of art and hope with Nigerian women’ at UN Headquarters, New York

    Fafunwa said her stage play featured the ‘Nollywood’ actresses because they were well-respected by the Nigerian society and all over Africa and even the world at large.

    “I brought in the ‘Nollywood actresses because first of all, they were interested in this kind of work, they themselves want to make a difference and make a change for Nigeria.

    “But also when you have somebody who is respected in the community, saying the message, then that message is carried through even more,” Fafunwa said. (NAN)

  • The New World of Women

    This new world is a world where women are seeming not to be too interested in just sitting, grinning and bearing it. Since the regular world says women are the weaker sex but is not prepared to worship that weakness, women are now working to change that hostile system

    Have you ever been in the world of women? You’ll probably tell me that your wife or your sister or your mother is or was a woman. So, you’re familiar with all the lipsticks and tampons and catfights. That unfortunately does not give you knowledge of the world of women. What gives this knowledge is not even being sympathetic to the cause of women; it is watching women who have endured.

    For a long time, I had asked myself why would the world dedicate a special day in the year to draw attention to women? Isn’t it somewhat patronising? Is it not like saying, hey there, women, let’s all humour you today – what would you like to do – we get you breakfast, take you to the cinema or simply dry you out in the sun to get you away from the heat of the kitchen for a while?

    Pardon me, I am no women’s lib agitator. I don’t even understand what that means. To me, though, the conception of the International Women’s day is anchored on a number of premises. The first premise blatantly says that the world we’re living in is a man’s world. Most of the work space in the world is occupied by men. Take any country; you’ll find that the policy makers are mostly men. Even where there are women at the political forefront, the men are occupying the driver’s seat, literally and literarily. Behind every successful woman is a set of more powerful men. I don’t think the world really trusts women enough to hand them a country to govern.

    The second premise is not far from the first, and it is that women have no choice but to accept the little they get from the men: be it housekeeping allowance, family dedicated time or even a day declared to dry them out in the sun. Men call the shots. I was mortified to read the other day that it was a man who invented the toilet paper. Even the kitchen wipe was also invented by the men.

    The third premise is that men do not need any day to be celebrated. Their royal musculatures are celebrated all through the year. I mean, have you ever heard of an International Men’s day? Every day is International Men’s day, except March 8, of course. It is only on that day that men do not get asked, what do you want to eat? Rather, they get to ask, where do you want to go for dinner? Or at least, they are supposed to ask. Ok, show of hands: how many men in the house asked that question on March 8?

    Women have their own world too, in fact many worlds, and I think that the people behind the International Women’s day are mindful of that. I don’t know, but I am suspecting that the motion might have come from a man who persistently forgot his marriage anniversary, his wife’s birthday, or was fond of forgetting himself at work, and really needed to calm his wife’s nerves. So, you see, in the world of women, dates and facts matter.

    I think though that the people who moved the motion of the International Women’s day had a lot more than dates in mind. They might have been thinking of the very many women across the entire world who have to cope with raising the family with or without a man. Let’s face it; it is so much easier for a man to just up and walk away from the family because they do not want to be saddled with too many responsibilities in the form of a wife and child. I know most men do not do that; I’m just saying it’s a lot easier; and not many women can do that.

    I think that the women who do walk away have something like ink coursing through their veins, not blood. I was listening to a story a few hours ago about how easily someone’s dad walked away. Imagine, he was packing his suitcase as he was talking to his son, giving him promises that he did not intend to keep. That’s not a woman’s world. She’s likely to tell her son to go fetch the sandwich she had prepared for him in the kitchen while she snuck away.

    I think the people behind this International Women’s day might also be thinking of the women across the globe who inhabit a world where they have to cope with dwindling family resources and rising costs of living. I tell you, we are legion in that category. There is no woman you meet now who is not ready to share her tale of how resources are no longer meeting needs and needs are now outsourcing resources. Mouths to feed are increasing yet what to pour down those yawning lanes are dwindling, courtesy of this thing called the world economic system that makes sense only to men. I’m guessing that the organisers recognise the fact that women are more likely to be victims of the men’s world social engineering system. The only social engineering system that enters the world of women is that children should have enough sandwiches to eat.

    Worse, there are women who are bearing up with the cruelty of many men’s maleness across the world. March 8, I guess, is a salute to their fights for survival. There are women who are sex slaves even to their own husbands because those ones do not recognise the personhood of their wives. There are those who have been sold as sex slaves. There are those who have to put up with their spouses’ physical, economic or even psychological aggression. There are those whose nights are spent in such horrifying terror in the hands of their partners that no cinema reel can capture.

    I know for a fact that women are creating for themselves a new world by fighting back against this world of terror. Oh no, they are not picking up arms. They can’t. They are just trying to use their God-given brains, that’s all. There is virtually no profession you cannot find women now all over the world. In Nigeria, I know for a fact that there are now female Okada riders who pick up fares and are members of the association of riders across many states. I don’t think they are doing it for the love of the road. There are women manning machines that men used to hog to themselves. I also hear that among Dangote Group of Drivers, there are now females… Man, what is this new world of women coming to exactly?

    This new world is a world where women are seeming not to be too interested in just sitting, grinning and bearing it. Since the regular world says women are the weaker sex but is not prepared to worship that weakness, women are now working to change that hostile system. There is a saying that you can’t put a woman on a pedestal and still expect her to sweep under it. Women are now taking themselves off that pedestal because no one is sweeping under it. In the process, a new world is birthed, imbued with the spirit of can-do.

    Women’s International day is a splendid idea, whether for the wrong or right reasons. However, women need more than an International Women’s day. They need encouragement across the many spheres of their lives. While everyone should respect their new fight for survival, each community must also assist women to press for the progress that they so desperately need in their new world of less pain.

  • Lafarge CEO makes case for women

    The Chief Executive Officer of Lafarge Africa, Mr. Michel Puchercos, says he sees no reason why a woman should not take over from him after his tenure as the company’s CEO. He made the remark at the 2018 edition of the International Women’s Day event held at Park Inn by Radisson, Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun state yesterday.

    Delivering the welcome address at the event, Purchercos urged everyone to join forces with women, saying the time is right to raise the bar to achieve more and do more.

    “This year, the theme #PressForProgress, encompasses the push that every woman needs to enable her succeed. It is a strong call to motivate and unite friends, colleagues and communities to think, act and be gender inclusive,” Puchercos said.

    “As a woman, in the world today, with all the opportunities that exist, you are encouraged to never give up. You are encouraged to continue to press and push to achieve the progress and outcomes you desire.” He noted that Lafarge Africa Plc is already taking the lead to close the gender gap with its commitment to gender inclusion and parity.

    Although the firm presently has over 33 percent women representation in its Executive management and Board, Puchercos believes strongly that there is room for improvement in this area.

    “We are an equal opportunity employer. There is absolutely no gender based limitation to career growth and development in Lafarge. As CEO of Lafarge Africa Plc I see no reason why a woman cannot succeed me. It’s all in your hands.”

    In similar vein, while contributing to the theme: “Press for Progress: How women globally are emboldened to speak up”, the Director, Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development, Lafarge Africa, Mrs. Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reminded the audience about great women in the past such as, Olufunmilayo Ransome Kuti, Senator Franka Afegbua among others who made great sacrifices for the freedom of not just women but entire generations.

  • Ambode’s wife to women: support yourselves

    Ambode’s wife to women: support yourselves

    WOMEN have been urged to nominate and support themselves for emerging opportunities, whenever they arise.

    Lagos State Governor’s wife Mrs. Abimbola Ambode, who gave the counsel at this year’s International Women’s Day in Lagos,  explained that supporting one another was a duty women owe to each other.

    Mrs. Ambode advised women to challenge stereotypes as well as rise up to question old practices that were not friendly.

    Her words: “We must remove barriers that stand in the way of the progress of women. When we stand together, we can achieve anything and any obstacle can be pulled down.”

    On the year’s theme: “Press for progress, leave no woman behind”, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Dr. Lola Akande said the change women must embrace will enable them to advocate against gender discrimination at the home, eliminate domestic violence and sexual harassment.

  • Saraki hails women

    Saraki hails women

    Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday joined world leaders and people around the world to commemorate the International Women’s Day 2018.

    In a series of tweets on his @BukolaSaraki handle, the Senate President emphasised the role and significance of women in Nigeria and globally.

    “Today, on International Women’s Day, I join the world to celebrate our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our colleagues and our friends who wake up each day and work to make the world a better place.

    “In particular, today, I celebrate those women, who have played, and continue to play their part in the development of our country — in every sector, in every way, and at every point in our young, but significant history.

    “As a father to three young women; a husband to a charismatic wife, who is making great contributions in her own right; a colleague to a few but effective legislators; and a son — every day, I witness firsthand the strength and resilience of women.

    “I see their impact in all areas of human endeavour, and testify to their resilience, their bravery, and their ability to get things done.”

  • Women have less access, take low-quality jobs – ILO report

    Women have less access, take low-quality jobs – ILO report

    In spite of notable progress on closing gender gaps over the past 20 years, women have less access to jobs, the World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends for Women 2018 Global snapshot, said.

    The report, released for the 2018 International Women’s Day, authored by the UN International Labour Organisation (ILO), said women were more likely to take low-quality employment, and face barriers to management positions.

    The report found that women’s labour force participation rate worldwide stood at 48.5 per cent in 2018, which was 26.5 percentage points below that of their male counterparts.

    It also showed that the global unemployment rate for women was six per cent for 2018, about 0.8 percentage points higher than that for men.

    Altogether, for every 10 men in a job, only six women are employed, the report found.

    “In spite of the progress achieved and the commitments made to further improvement, women’s prospects in the world of work are still a long way from being equal to men’s.

    “Whether it is about access to employment, wage inequality or other forms of discrimination, we need to do more to reverse this persistent, unacceptable trend by putting in place policies tailored to women.

    “We also need to take into account the unequal demands that they face in household and care responsibilities,” said Ms Deborah Greenfield, ILO Deputy Director-General for Policies.

    In regions such as the Arab States and Northern Africa, female unemployment rates are still twice as large as men’s, with prevailing social norms continuing to obstruct women’s participation in paid employment, it said.

    However, women in Eastern Europe and North America register lower unemployment rates than men, according to the report.

    It said women also faced significant gaps in the quality of the employment they are in as they are more than twice as likely to be contributing family workers.

    This means that they contribute to a market-oriented family business, but are often subject to vulnerable conditions of employment without written contracts, collective agreements and respect for labour legislation, it said.

    The report stressed that as a result, women were still overrepresented in informal employment in developing countries.

    The report noted that globally, four times as many men were working as employers than women in 2018, while women continued to face barriers in accessing management positions.

    “Closing gender gaps in the world of work thus should remain a top priority if we want to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030,” Damian Grimshaw, Director of the ILO Research Department, said.

  • Time is Now: Rural and Urban Activists Transforming Women’s Lives

    Time is Now: Rural and Urban Activists Transforming Women’s Lives

    Statement by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women for International Women’s Day

     

    This year’s theme captures the vibrant life of the women activists whose passion and commitment have won women’s rights over the generations, and successfully brought change. We celebrate an unprecedented global movement for women’s rights, equality, safety and justice, recognizing the tireless work of activists who have been central to this global push for gender equality.
    What we see today is a remarkable gathering of strength among women all over the world, demonstrating the power of speaking with one voice, as they call for opportunity and accountability, drawing momentum from grassroots networks and coalitions that stretch right up to government leadership. These movements grow from the work of multigenerational activists—from the late feminist human rights leader Asma Jahangir of Pakistan, to the powerful new generation represented by young women like Jaha Dukureh of The Gambia, UN Women’s Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa on ending FGM and child marriage.
    Healthy societies have a wide mix of voices and influences that provide the checks and balances, the differing threads of experience and perspectives, and the debate that shapes good decision-making. Where voices are missing, there is an important gap in the fabric of society. When those quietened voices count in the millions, we know there is something wrong with our world. Similarly, as we see and hear those voices rise in strength and solidarity, we feel the power of something right.
    We salute those who have bravely spoken out to gain access to justice, such as those from the #MeToo movement, who in recent months have found their voice in social media in more than 85 countries to expose those who have preyed on the less powerful and shown how when women support one another, they help to overcome stigma and ensure that their stories are believed.
    We commend the women who spoke out in the International Criminal Court where their testimonies have held to account those who used rape as a weapon of war. We celebrate activists who campaigned for equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, and we recognize those who advocated for legal reform in countries such as Tunisia, to end a provision that allowed rapists to escape persecution if they married their victims. We acknowledge those who have taken to the streets in India to decry the murder and rape of young children, turning protests into broader-based movements that engage entire communities. We honour the indigenous leaders who have stood up for their custodial rights to land and traditional practices, and the human rights defenders who have even lost their lives for their cause.
    The feminist movement must continue to increase the diversity and the number of people working on gender equality, bringing in individuals and groups—such as men and boys, young people and faith-based organizations—to support and shape the agenda, so young men and boys learn to value and respect women and girls and so men can change the way they behave. Today’s activism needs to alter the way we listen to women and the way we look at them, recognizing the power of stereotypes to influence how we value people. A movement of women that can address these issues is critical, but we also need a movement of male feminists.
    This has to be a tipping point; an end to impunity and the silent suffering of women in rural and urban areas, including women domestic workers. Today’s activists must empower those most likely to be left behind, the majority of whom are women, as our latest report, Turning Promises into Action reveals. Across all regions, women are more likely to live in extreme poverty than men. This gender gap is as high as 22 per cent for the 25 – 34 age group—women’s peak reproductive years, starkly highlighting the dilemma so many face of reconciling income with care—for which policy change and action is so needed.
    UN Women has a special relationship with the women’s movement; we arose from that activism. Civil society has had a historically crucial role in leading global action on gender equality by promoting reform, highlighting the complexities of the challenges facing women, influencing policies, participating in monitoring, and upholding accountability. We must deliberately create stronger support for women’s political activism and a broader space for women’s civil society voices so that our efforts combine to target those who truly need change most. The culture of gender-based poverty, abuse and exploitation has to end with a new generation of equality that lasts.

  • Give women their own bank now

    True, there are women everywhere who seem to live life without a sufficient amount of motivation even to take the day’s bath; but you will also get a good number who have the motivation, strength and zeal to seize the world if given half a chance

    Some years ago, this column called on this nation to seriously consider starting a bank exclusively dedicated to serving women, both rural and urban. The government pretended not to have listened. But I am used to harping on a topic. This year’s theme for the international women’s day on March 8 is Press for Progress, and it gives me the opportunity to sound like a broken record again. This is why I want to repeat my prayer that the Nigerian government should please, as a matter of urgency, consider starting a bank exclusively devoted to serving rural women engaged in agricultural activities and city women engaged in entrepreneurial activities.

    I know women need this bank, the same way I know for a fact that cocks do not crow at midnight unless scared awake by a sudden noise, say from a prowling fox. Who does not fear death? I also know that parrots cannot be trusted with secrets; they have a penchant for speaking out of turns; and I know that you can always trust a dog to point out to you the place of its birth, which is more than I can say for myself. See, I know things. So listen to me as I tell you this: women need their own bank!

    There are countless reasons why a women’s bank, put in the right economically sound hands and completely devoid of politics, can alleviate the sufferings of women, particularly in the rural areas. Let me however tell you one story. It is about a woman in a city who wanted to do something to enable her feed her family. There she was, with many mouths yawning at her and threatening to swallow her up of many mornings, and she not having a farthing to help them with.

    The woman looked left and right and there was none to help her – no husband, no relative, just those yawning mouths. But she did look around her and noticed that her children’s penchant for gulping bread was contagious. All the children in her neighbourhood liked to gulp bread. So, she decided to target their taste and approached a neighbour, who happened to head a community bank, for a loan. He it was who pitied her and gave her a loan of five thousand Naira. Now, why on earth are you laughing?

    Anyway, before long, she had sold the lot of bread she bought for five thousand naira and returned the principal for another loan. Gingered, her creditor extended the loan again and even increased it to a higher amount. Till today, dear reader, that woman regularly takes and returns loans as high as ten thousand Naira each week. Yes, sir, her market enterprise is still bread. And, yes sir, her children are no longer yawning uselessly.

    You might think that story would defeat my own argument. No way; that woman was very lucky that she had someone close by that she could call on. Now think of the millions of women in the rural areas who do not have this kind of luck. Do you want every woman to have to wait to be lucky? If there was a more women-friendly, women-dedicated and women-focused bank that any woman can walk into and take that kind of soft loan, many lives would be made better, particularly those of children who yawn endlessly. More importantly, they even do not have to know anyone in order to get help. That is what we call a good society.

    For some reason or the other, many women are now sole breadwinners in their domains, even without the capital. The society knows this and the government also knows this but would not lift a hand to help many of these women who cannot help themselves. The story is told of a limbless woman – no hands, no legs – who had to paint with her teeth just to feed her family. One in a million, yes, but just go to the rural areas and see; come to the cities and see more of such needs. True, you will get many women everywhere who seem to live life without a sufficient amount of motivation even to take the day’s bath; but you will also get a good number who have the motivation, strength and zeal to seize the world if given half a chance. That chance must be given.

    More importantly, women are much more serious with government’s money and so are not likely to take loans and promptly go and marry more husbands with them. For one thing, the society will not let them. For quite another, their children will not hear of it. Have you seen how ferociously protective children are of their mothers? Phew! I know this from experience. So, new husbands are definitely out.

    The government can be sure that any soft loan given will be used by the women for the women and their children. Believe it or not, there are some children who resume school in their tertiary institutions with two thousand Naira for the semester, while some government functionaries’ children resume in the same school with two hundred Thousand Naira as monthly allowance. (You will notice I have capitalised that t out of respect).

    There is a saying that the strength of a place is really no more than the strength of its weakest member. By analogy, the strength of a country is really no more than the strength of its women. Most of the time, women take care of the children and the disabled. As it is now, women have themselves been disabled by the society. Indeed, women are so disabled they are said to be victims of many preventable deaths: maternal, mal-nutritional, domestic, etc. A woman got very badly burnt once from escaped gas while trying to reheat her husband’s food in the night when he returned from his drinking binge and demanded to be fed.

    It is so bad now that greeting a woman has become a dangerous thing; you never know if she will keel over while answering you. In spite of any amount of malnutrition or fragility, God help the woman who goes on strike against any more child birth. Heaven and hell would witness all the efforts to bring her back in line. A more economically active woman would not only be stronger physically but would be more psychologically prepped to withstand social and health-related challenges.

    Seriously, leaving women behind in the pursuit of social development is doing only a half-job. The plight of most Nigerian women, in both the rural and urban areas, must be put squarely in the picture. As a matter of fact, there is no development index worth considering that does not begin with the status of women. Since they are said to constitute the higher per centage of the population and the lower per centage of the labour force in the formal and informal sectors in Nigeria (and many other places), then the government is doing itself a disservice by not channelling the strengths of women towards higher productivity.

    So, if the government wants to get serious with development, it should not limit the use of women to giving multiple births; or welcome dances to political office holders; or being rented for political programmes. The government should give them their bank for real. This is what will inspire women for progress and ensure a happy home for happy children.

    • This article was first published some years ago, yet little has been heard of the women’s bank proposal announced by the government. Hence the need to renew the call.
  • 500 women receive support from Ooni

    500 women receive support from Ooni

    No fewer than 500 women across Osun State have received support to boost their ventures from the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.

    Speaking at the Ooni Annual Women Empowerment Workshops 2018 held at the Oba Okunade Sijuade Hall, Enuwa Ile-Ife, Oba Ogunwusi described micro-economy development, as a viable catalyst of speedy economic growth in the developing countries, and a sustainable solution to its various socio-economic challenges.

    According to the revered monarch, the initiative must be driven by active participation of people at the grassroots through   Small and Medium Scale Enterprises.

    Bemoaning level of poverty  among the mass of Nigerian  people, Oba Ogunwusi  said there was an urgent need   for people at the helm of affairs to give priority to women and youth empowerment.

    He said: “The solution to Nigerian economic  problem, like many other developing counties  is the development of micro-economy through  small and medium scale  enterprises. We have to start empowering the women and our youth to be an active stakeholders in the economic development.

    “It’s time for us to change our method of nation -building,  we must prioritise women and youth empowerment to drive the micro-economy and boost economic activities in the country generally.

    “If you empower one woman, you have empowered more than a nation. Women are different in their approach and mannerism, they are the pillar of every home, they are the custodian of homes, they make good homes.”

  • NAMA chief lauds women engineers

    NAMA chief lauds women engineers

    The Managing Director, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Captain Fola Akinkuotu, has extolled the impact of women engineers in socio-economic development.

    Akinkuotu spoke at the investiture of Felicia Agubata as the 15th president of the  Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) in Lagos.

    He noted that Nigeria’s history would be incomplete without mentioning the role of women engineers who have made indelible contributions to its technological advancement.

    He described the new president, a staff member of NAMA, as a woman of valour, persistence and hard work who has transformed  NAMA Engineering Department within her few years in the agency.

    “If given the opportunity and enabling environment, women like Agubata, would continue to excel in their endeavours,’’ Akinkuotu said.

    He praised the leadership and members of APWEN for the investiture of Agubata, noting that it was an honour.

    Agubata promised to uphold the dignity of women engineers and to serve the profession and humanity well.

    Acknowledging the challenges ahead, especially the expectations from the engineering community and stakeholders, Agubata promised to focus on capacity building to mobilise necessary human and material resources and create value for the good of the society in line with the mission of APWEN.

    “There is no research work that has shown that one gender is stronger or weaker than the other, both sexes when given the exposures, training and orientation, the outcome will be very interesting. To guarantee continuous progress, both sexes must complement and support each other. This will ensure that our potential as one humanity is maximised across all spheres,” he said.

    She said the association members should work together to meet the  needs of the society and to improve human experience and expand opportunities for the emerging woman.