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Tag: women

  • EU parliamentarian to lose allowance over comments on women

    EU parliamentarian to lose allowance over comments on women

    A Polish member of the EU Parliament is to lose his subsistence allowance of $9,750  as punishment for calling women “weaker” and “less intelligent” during a debate.

    Parliament President Antonio Tajani while announcing the punishment for Janusz Korwin-Mikke, 74, also suspended him from parliamentary activities for 10 days.

    Members also prohibited Korwin-Mikke from representing the chamber for one year at outside events.

    Tajani said the severity of the sanctions were unprecedented, in order to be commensurate with the gravity of the offence.

    “I will not tolerate such behaviour, in particular when it comes from someone who is expected to discharge his duties as a representative of the peoples of Europe with due dignity,” he said.

    The penalties refer to comments Korwin-Mikke made during a plenary debate on the gender pay gap.

    “Of course women must earn less than men because they are weaker, they are smaller and they are less intelligent, they must earn less, that’s all,” Korwin-Mikke said.

    A clip of Korwin-Mikke’s sexist tirade went viral, with commenters cheering the response of lawmaker Iratxe Perez from Spain.

    “Well, according to what you’re saying and according to your theory, I wouldn’t have the right to be here as a member of parliament.

    “I know you are very upset and very concerned about the fact that we women can represent citizens on equal footing with you.

    “I think I need to defend European women from people like you,” she said.

    NAN recalls that EU lawmakers, who were visibly flabbergasted by the comments, called for sanctions against Korwin-Mikke, who is the chairman of a eurosceptic, conservative party in Poland but is not affiliated with any parliamentary party at the EU.

  • ‘Women must fight prejudice, promote equality’

    A non-governmental organisation, Helpline Foundation for the Needy, Abuja, has called on women to forge a better working environment that will promote their empowerment and gender-inclusiveness.

    The President of the foundation, Mrs. Jumai Ahmadu  made the call in Abuja while speaking to the media as part of activities commemorating this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration, stressing the need to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political activities of women.

    While speaking on this year’s theme: “Be Bold for Change”, Mrs. Ahmadu called on women to do everything to overcome entrenched prejudice, support engagement and activism and promote gender equality, noting that Nigerian women cannot be excluded from this global call.

    Mrs. Ahmadu acknowledged that the task of women empowerment and gender equality should be the responsibility of both government and non-governmental organisations, even as she observed that government should be responsible in the policy formulation of women empowerment scheme.

    “I understand that a key feature of 2017’s International Women’s Day is the call for “a day without women”. That is, for women to take the day off work. While I agree that it would be tremendously effective if we could mobilise every single woman on the street, but my major concern as a very privileged, financially stable woman is for government and stakeholders to initiate policies and programmes that will empower women economically, socially, culturally and politically. It is my candid opinion that economic empowerment breed boldness for change,” she said.

    Mrs. Ahmadu pledged that Helpline Foundation will continue on its empowerment programmes for women in the six. Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory, adding that her foundation had at last year empowered over 400 widows on free interest macro-credit loan across the length and breadth of the Territory.

    She said, “From our experience in dealing with these women; we discovered that what they need is support from government in the area of capacity building and available start off packages for them to contribute to the local economy and be self-reliant. Government should put structures in place to help to assist them with finance and equipment that will make the local economy vibrant”.

    She also observed that since the first International Women’s Day was marked, there has been a significant improvement in the lives of women across the globe, in terms of gender equality, education, and increased visibility and recognition in politics.

    It could be recalled that the International Women’s Day (IWD) was originally called International Working Day, is celebrated on March 8, every year to commemorate the struggle for women’s rights.

  • Gbagyi women: we need help

    Gbagyi women: we need help

    Gbagyi women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have demanded for the creation of intervention plans to help in poverty alleviation in their communities.

    The women said that no matter how little, government needs to profile their needs and create plans that will enable Gbagyi women speak out through their skills.

    The Abuja women made the call at a two-day seminar organised to create awareness for the overall wellbeing of the Gbagyi indigenous women of the FCT, in commemoration on the International Women’s Day, tagged, the need to give the Gbagyi indigenous woman a voice.

    Organiser of the event and former vocal beacon for the C25 Century on indegenous people, Della Ileri explained that the idea is to connect the Gbagyi issue with the international instruments that can be used to create policies for them.

    Ileri stated further that the advocacy project which brought about the program was sponsored by the International Indigenous Women Forum (IIWF) after an online three months training and a two weeks training in New York that outline the needs of indigenous people.

    She added, “The government needs to make more provisions, to make need assessment, it’s time to start profiling these women, we can’t keep saying we want to meet their needs without the women expressing themselves on where they are and are coming from.

    “So we can create intervention plans, it must not be huge, it can just be basic intervention plans.

    “Like one of the women we met who said that her father is the only person who know about the making of a particular material, it doesn’t take much to train others so we need to get back into these communities and train them.

    “The women need to speak for themselves so their needs can be profiled and create intervention plans no matter how little, we need to let these women speak with their skills.

    “I grew up in this city and saw how a typical Gbagyi woman is confident and not scared of walking into any neigbourhood to sell her yams and other harvests but these days we hardly see them. These women have a unique lifestyle and skills that they can use to sustain their economy.

    “The government and private individuals need to create intervention plans, we need to start letting these women speak and ask for what they want.

    “The 35% affirmation has not been achieved its time to let these women speak, especially those in the grassroot, because some cultures are being lost like that of training the younger generation to be self-sustaining but not depending on the government especially in the area of craft so that most of the Gbagyi traditional knowledge will not go extinct.

    “Presently there is the fear of their traditional knowledge going extinct and not celebrated, it needs to be sustained and passed unto the next generation over time.

    “When you go into the communities, you will know that the women know what they want.

    “The government can liberate Gbegyi women by building skills acquisition centres for them, promoting their knowledge and giving them enough space to practice their skills and give them more opportunities to education because a lot of the families still prefer training the male children to female, provide them adult education and we can get to the point where we translate basic education in their own language so it can help sustain traditional knowledge.

  • AJANI AJIKOBI: Lessons dad taught me about women

    AJANI AJIKOBI: Lessons dad taught me about women

    He is imbued with the qualities of an actor. But he will never touch the make-belief profession with a long pole. His first love was mechanical engineering, but fate played a cruel joke on him, and he found himself in a geology class. Today, Ajani Babatunde Ajikobi, the CEO of Real Drill Hydrokonsult, has made fortunes from geology. His expertise has endeared him to many organisations in Osun State and beyond. In this interview with GBENGA ADERANTI, Ajikobi talks about his journey into the business of finding water from under the earth, why he is engrossed in humanitarian services, the mystery of the gold deposit in Ilesha and many other things. Excerpts:

    HOW did you come about geology? I think my deficiency in physics made me find myself in the geology department at the Polytechnic Ibadan, I wanted to study mechanical engineering though. I eventually passed my physics, but I’m fulfilled as a geologist.

    If you say you’re fulfilled as a geologist, but are you aware that some geology graduates are teachers in secondary schools?

    The fulfilment I have is that I started generating income for myself at the early stage of my career. I had not become a full graduate before I started earning money. I started gaining monetary reward from geology, courtesy of the four months industrial training I was exposed to after my OND. I saw myself being great before I finished my career. I will never forget Alhaji Oluwatoyin Yusuff; he exposed me to the rudiments of the job. At a time when I was not supposed to be on site, he took me to different sites for drilling and installations and equally shouldered me with a lot of responsibilities. Also, I happened to have a brother that studied geology and he was doing fine, that really encouraged me.

    At what point did you decide to practise as a geologist?

    When I was exposed to the practicability of what I had been taught in class, that was when I went for my internship at the Rural Water Environmental Sanitation Agency (RUWESA). I had many bosses who were doing well. That really encouraged me to practise geology and to really establish myself as I’m today.

    You said you began to make money before you started your own company, what you were doing to make money?

    When we were doing our IT, they used to give us stipends and I was so fortunate then that the company had a project called special presidential project. The owners of the project paid us what was called site allowances. This really motivated me and boosted my morale. It also allowed me to have more interest in the profession.

    When you talk of geology, what readily comes to mind is petroleum. I want you to tell me other things a geologist can do

    There are several things a geologist can do, just like what I’m doing now. I’m into hydro water. We have minerals, we also have sedimentology. Geology has several sub divisions. Where I’m right now is hydro geology via borehole drilling. It has become imperative and important for people to have water, you know water is life. Compulsorily, you need water; there is no option to that. Electricity has option, but water does not have any option. Hydrology is what you can practise till eternity. But for the petroleum industry, there is competition there, it is highly competitive. Even if you have first class, to get a job in the NNPC or any oil company is not easy, except you are highly connected, or God’s intervention. You, as a geologist, know what is under the subsurface and you unravel it through geophysical survey and you recommend appropriately. It is not only in the oil companies that you can work and see yourself as a successful geologist. There are so many sub- divisions in geology. For me, it is hydrogeology that I have found myself.

    Do you ever feel you could have done better if you studied engineering?

    I wouldn’t have done better. I’m proud to say that I am the CEO of Real Drill, the company that can afford to employ 40 people, and we are doing well. We have an array of sophisticated equipment here. We have graduates working with us. This is a rare privilege. This is what I have not asked from my God. He has done more than what I have asked for and I have no regret not studying engineering. I’m always thanking God for putting my path on this right course.

    Considering the economy of Osun State right now, what advice do you have for the state government regarding the gold deposits in Ilesha?

    The gold in Ilesha is an alluvial, powder gold. It involves a lot of things before you can mine. You must get mining licence and other approvals before you can mine. I think the problem now is from the centre, the federal government. I think the exploration of oil has not allowed us to mine other mineral resources. Minerals are not as valuable as oil. So many people have worked to know the economic value of gold in Ilesha, but the government is not interested. The oil has blinded us and we no longer have interest in mineral exploration. For the Ilesha gold deposit, I doubt if the economic value is all that great, because it is powdered gold, they call it alluvial.

    You said the gold does not have much economic value, yet we hear of illegal miners. How do you explain this?

    The illegal miners have been able to survive because they don’t have licence and they don’t use big equipment. To start a mining industry is highly capital intensive and you need heavy duty equipment, expatriates, and the methodology is expensive. The illegal miners use diggers and shovels. They don’t buy equipment, they are using manpower and they could be caught. This is because we live in a country where it is tough to enforce the law. Things would be difficult for illegal miners if there is enforcement. The illegal miners can only thrive because they have little or nothing as investment. For you as a miner, there are so many licences that you will get and it is a kind of business that is full of uncertainties. You have to do your survey, and you might end up getting less than half of your investment.

  • Ansarudeen Women walk for health

    Ansarudeen Women walk for health

    Walking for fun and fitness, experts say, is a great way to improve or maintain your overall health. Just 30 minutes every day can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power and endurance. It can also reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers.

    Recently, the Women’s Committee of Ansarudeen Society,  Lagos  branch, organised its annual health walk in Lagos. In attendance were dignitaries, including the state Chairperson Alhaja Shakirat Adeyinka Koiki, Chairperson of the program, Alhaja Modinat kike Layeni, Alhaja Tinuade Bambe and secretary of the Women’s committee, Modinat Mojisola Lawal.

    The walk took off a few minutes past 8 am at the National stadium, Surulere, Lagos through Adeniran Ogunsanya, Bode Thomas and back to Shitta, Masha, Ogunlana Drive and finally to Babatunde Street to Ajao Road location of the Ansarudeen Mosque.

    The members of the organisation who were dressed in white and green outfits sang, danced and networked with other members of the public who were excited with the messages from the women.

    By 9.10am, Alhaja Sikirat Adeyinka Koiki welcomed everyone back and they prayed and thanked Allah for the event, their families and the nation.

    Dr T.A. Basorun, consultant Physical Medicine and Medical Rehabilitation gave a health talk. He said “It is good to exercise the body and walking is one of the best ways to do this. The truth of the matter is a lot of women get married and do not take care about themselves. It is important to be healthy and smart’.

    According to Koiki, awareness of healthy living is very important. She said “We thank God that we decided at our meeting that we were going to hold a health talk; it’s the first of its kind in this branch. We thank God that we have gone out today and everything went well. We can’t be doing everything spiritual; we need to take care of our health as well….”

    She said almost two hours of walk is not a joke and thanked Allah for his grace: “Personally, I am an aerobic club member and I am used to it. I will be 65 this year. We just have to be conscious of our health, we have to be medically conscious, we have to go for checkups; we have to go for screening, moreso now that cancer is so rampant in our society today. We pray for Allah to help us to avoid all this calamities of the world.”

    She reminded the women that prevention is better than cure, noting that ailments such as BP, diabetes, arthritis and even menopausal problems abound.

  • WHY AFRICAN WOMEN SHOULD STAND UP, BY OMOSEXY

    AS the world celebrated the International Women’s Day on Wednesday, frontline Nollywood actress and child and women’s rights activist, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, has urged African women to step up their game.

    Describing the theme for this year’s edition as ‘apt’, Omotola, who is popularly known as Omosexy, said this in an interview with The Nation.

    “I think women need to be bold,” said Omotola who recently acted in two yet-to-be released movies – ‘Alter Ego’ and ‘Tribunal’, after a taking a three-year break from acting to pursue other businesses, including speaking engagements.

    “A lot of women have been knocked down. Some women have been told from when they were growing up that, ‘look, your place is here.’ So, they’ve been told over and over again, ‘you can’t dream beyond that ceiling.’ Some other women have seen the women that have made it in life being ridiculed. So, not too many women have been favoured. So, you don’t have too many women to be role models to look up to, especially in Africa, many say ‘wow, if this woman can do it, I can do it also.’

    So, African women ought to stand up. They call us ‘Mother Africa’ for a reason. We’re strong, we’re resilient, we’re multi-taskers, we are the strongest women on the surface of the earth. I think we should rise up and take our place.’

    Omotola, 38, started acting when she was 16 and has acted in over 300 movies. Organisations she has worked with include One Africa, World Food Programme (WFP) and Amnesty International.

  • LCCI commends women’s resilience in economy

    LCCI commends women’s resilience in economy

    President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI),  Mrs. Nike Akande has hailed Nigerian women on the occasion of the International Day for women – a day set aside by the United Nations to celebrate women worldwide, adding that the theme “Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030,” is apt.

    In a statement made available to The Nation, Akande said the importance of this day cannot be over emphasized as women remain the foundation of any society having regard to their critical role in the family structure.  She said the contribution of women to the growth and development of the economy has been phenomenal. Since independence, women have continuously braced the odds to emerge leaders in politics, business, sports, academics and in every other profession, she added.

    She said: “The role of women in shaping families is one worthy of celebration as women have selflessly dedicated themselves to the nurturing and upbringing of their children. The quality of this upbringing has a major influence on the quality of leadership in any society. The values of integrity, humility, fear of God, love, selflessness, sacrifice and hard work is best imbibed at the level of the family.  The quality of parenting is a critical factor in this process”.

    She called on the Federal Government to put in place programmes and policies that will ensure equal opportunities for women and men in the country.  She further appealed to government to protect  women who have been affected by conflicts and other forms of dislocations and economically empower them.

    She said: “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 the IDPs in all parts of the country”.

    While we celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women it is also a call to action for accelerating gender parity, a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of our nation, she added.

  • Skye Bank lauds women as change agents

    Skye Bank lauds women as change agents

    Group Managing Director/CEO of Skye Bank Plc, Tokunbo Abiru, has extolled the role of women as change agents in the society. The bank joined the rest of the world to celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD).

    The IWD, marked every March 8, is a global day and an important opportunity to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women across the world as well as help  drive positive change for womenfolk.

    Abiru praised the resilience of women, who according to him, have over the years, shown what great pillar of support they can be; This, he explained, informed the decision of Skye Bank to evolve Skye Pearl; a women focused empowerment initiative.

    He affirmed that, “Skye Pearl Initiative supports the economic and financial growth of women through provision of platforms for gender empowerment; capacity development and networking opportunities  for women”.

    Members of the Skye Pearl community enjoy such benefits as; mentoring by key female industry leaders; partnerships with women organizations where women can meet with other peers to connect and share experiences; as well as access loans on concessionary terms.

    “Our partnership with Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA’s) Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW) has brought about enhanced capacity building for women and their businesses. We have trained over 25 women entrepreneurs on book keeping and budgeting, and our intention is to continue to support women in several spheres of life”.

  • Focus on internally displaced women

    SIR: Each year, International Women’s Day features thousands of events – global gatherings, conferences, awards, exhibitions, festivals, fun runs, corporate events, concert performances, speaking events, online digital gatherings and more.

    Events are held by women networks, corporations, charities, educational institutions, government bodies, political parties, the media and further communities. International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

    The theme/message for each year calls for more action by the government of countries, especially for women who are still largely considered second class citizens.

    But can we say that Internally Displaced Women benefit from this day? This day is meant for women all over the world, therefore we should not forget the internally displaced  women in our celebration.

    Women are the most vulnerable during times of war, be it a large-scale civil war or pockets of insurgency as is being witnessed in the northeastern part of the country. With over three million people displaced since the rise of the insurgency, Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the world, many of which are women. A large number of these women are heads of households, according to the UN special rapporteur on the human rights of IDPs, Chaloka Beyani.

    While the security and Civilian JTF are currently doing their best to end the insurgency, a lot of harm has already been done to the psyche of women and children. The widely reported atrocity perpetrated against women during the period of the insurgency is abduction of over 200 school girls from Chibok, Borno State.

    We must also appreciate the effort made which rescued 19 of them. Mass abductions and rape are just a few of the experiences that women have and continue to face in the hardest hit states of Borno and Yobe states.

    The sexual exploitation and abuse occurring in Maiduguri IDP camps came to prominence in late October due to the publication of a report by Human Rights Watch. The report documented sexual abuse, including the rape and exploitation of 43 women and girls living in seven IDP camps. Some of them were drugged and raped, while others were promised marriage (which never happened). Others were offered material and financial assistance in exchange for sex.

    Women forced to accept these terms then suffered discrimination, abuse and stigma from others in the camps, as did the children born from these exploitive encounters. Their abusers were members of security forces, vigilante groups, camp leaders and camp officials.

    On the occasion of 2010 International Women’s Day the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) drew attention to the hardships displaced women endure. The displacement of populations is one of the gravest consequences of today’s armed conflicts. It affects women in a host of ways.

    What percentage of internally displaced women have access to safe drinking water, adequate shelter, education, adequate healthcare and necessary information? The answer is zero percent. These are just a few of the problems faced by these women. When I visited one of the IDP camps here in Maiduguri, I was shocked when I saw the food these people eat, they just eat for survival.

    International Women’s Day is an official holiday in many countries including Afghanistan, Armenia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Madagascar (for women only), Russia, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia etc. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries International Women’s Day has the equivalent status of Mother’s Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

    Make everyday International Women’s Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.

     

    • Mu’awiya Shuaibu,

    Mass Communication Department

    University of Maiduguri, Borno State

  • Adebule urges women to rise against discrimination

    Adebule urges women to rise against discrimination

    Lagos State Deputy Governor Dr. Idiat   Oluranti  Adebule has called on women to fight against discrimination, domestic violence and gender inequality.

    At an event commemorating the International Women’s Day (IWD) yesterday, Mrs Adebule described the day as recognition of women’s roles in the political and socio-economic development of the society. Despite the barriers, she said, women over the years had broken the walls of limitation to succeed in their careers.

    She said: “We all must work in synergy to ensure that all girls have access to free, equitable and quality education. Our unity of purpose must be to help all women to end all forms of discriminations, assaults, abuses, trafficking, and harmful practices such as early and forced marriages.”

    Lagos State, she noted, has been fighting for fairness, equality and full protection for women and the girl-Child.

    ”In the Lagos State Public Service for instance, all persons  irrespective of gender  are treated equally in the areas  of recruitment,  promotion and career progression, while it is worth noting that last four successive Heads of Service in the state have been women. Women have been occupying the position of Chief Judge of the state in the last eight years,” she said.

    Wife of the governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, said the day was significant to acknowledge women’s achievements  and appreciate their contributions to the socio-economic development of their societies.

    Mrs Ambode urged women not to be limited in their vision to achieve their hearts’ desire.

    “Change is the only permanent thing in life; it signifies progress and overcoming the barriers to achieving greatness. We must therefore embrace change with boldness and by so doing open a new door of opportunities for ourselves” she said.

    Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Lola Akande, enjoined women to see themselves as potential leaders and be committed to pragmatic actions which would foster their emancipation and advancement.