Women's Role In National Development —
An independence celebration thought
By DAME VIRGY ETIABA (KSM) Deputy Governor of Anambra State
I grew up in a generation
where gender inequality and sexual discrimination against women were embedded
in our cultural practices. Gender inequality and sexual discrimination have
very deep roots in the history of the world. For instance, women's voting
rights in a developed nation like the United States of America was only actualized
four decades ago.
In spite the guarantees and promises on non-discrimination contained in our
past constitutions which have evolved to the present 1999 constitution, women
have had to bear the pressure of a male dominated society, where the ideology
of male superiority has continued to hold strong in our social, political,
economic and even religious lives. To break away from this choking pressure,
a lot of women have had to work twice as hard as men to prove that apart from
some physiological differences between the two sexes, every human being is
imbued with some intelligence and other natural attributes that make them
unique and able to effectively contribute their quota to their self development
and improvement of the environment wherein they find themselves. With the
benefits of education, activism and increasing awareness campaigns, women
are today breaking out of cocoons of complacency, self-pity and suppression
or oppression (whether real or perceived), to assume important roles in the
development of our nation, Nigeria. Apart from their primary constituency
- the home (where most women have excelled as effective managers), they have
made astounding impacts in Commerce, Industry, Banking, Education, Administration,
Religion and of course Politics, to mention but a few.
I am an advocate of women being pro-active in any endeavour they so desire.
The history of the struggle for women emancipation and empowerment is replete
with the noble and courageous roles of the likes of the late Mrs. Olufunmilayo
Ransome-Kuti, late Mrs. Margaret Ekpo and Hajiya Gambo Sawaba among many others.
These great women organized women in different parts of the country and then
set them to be militant, which in turn saw the emergence of women's emancipation,
equality and empowerment. Their agitation was part of the nation's struggle
towards political independence in October 1960. The foregoing shows that women
have no business sitting down and waiting for the biblical manna to fall onto
their laps from heaven. The presumptive and unfortunate inference of inferior
capacity for work (physical or mental) is unjustified. The only excusable
cases are where the woman's physiology puts her at a relative disadvantage
to perform certain activities. Yet in such instances, she utilizes her mental
ability to organize and mobilize the necessary workforce to get the task accomplished
very effectively.
So, how does the woman make her impact felt in issues of national development
today? One critical requirement is formal education. It is a popular saying,
that when a woman is educated, the society is educated. No educated woman
will permit her children or wards to attain an educational level less than
hers. An educated woman is less dependent on people and is therefore able
to lead others in the right direction. Education is aimed at the development
of skills, knowledge and improvement for active participation in all aspects
of life in the society. Flowing from the acquisition of formal education is
the possession of the right skill and knowledge in a profession or endeavour.
With the deployment of her natural talents in the endeavour which have been
polished by formal education, the woman stands competitive in the society
and able to make a positive impact therein. Tradition and culture have been
women's most formidable constraints in our part of the world. In a male dominated
society, cultural values exclude or limit women's participation in the decision-making
process. On this score there should be deliberate measures by advocacy groups,
the legislature and the judiciary to ensure the protection of women's rights
as the on-going development of our dear country is not gender-sensitive. I
will not fail to mention the economic challenges that women also face. Though
women traditionally are home makers, many have gone beyond that role to become
contributors to the family income or outright breadwinners. The challenges
of life in modern day Nigeria demand increased earning capabilities to finance
the solution of a myriad of problems facing the women. These problems abound
in the areas of Education, Housing, Healthcare, Transportation, Food, etc.
With concerted steps towards self empowerment, beginning with the basics,
women would be able to participate effectively in all self-development, as
well as national development endeavours. It is imperative that women need
to be prepared to be co-participants in the role of national development.
Their participation could be from any angle of human endeavour; as wives,
mothers, teachers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, traders, politicians, engineers,
technocrats, to mention but a few.
I would confidently posit that in joining the task of national development,
women should commence from their primary constituency, the home. In discharging
their duties as wife, mother and home-maker, women unconsciously lay the foundation
for a solid nation. The role of a child's upbringing implies the development
of a human being into a well-meaning individual, useful to the family and
the society at large. Women have a duty to ensure the proper education of
their children and wards. An educated woman is not only an asset to herself
and her family, but to the larger society. Education broadens one's reasoning
ability and this inevitably imparts on her living standards and conditions.
Women should contribute to national development by striving to be the best
in whatever position they occupy in the society. The old adage that what a
man can do, a woman can also do better is a truism. An analysis of past and
present female public office holders and Chief Executive Officers shows that
they have excelled beyond all expectations, thereby making their names synonymous
with the noble virtues and characteristics they exhibited in office. Notable
names like Prof. Grace Alele Williams, Engr. Ebele Okeke, Chief (Mrs.) Bola
Kuforiji-Olubi, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, Dr. Ada
Okwuonu, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, Mrs. Cecilia Ibru, Mrs. Stella Okoli, Prof.
Dora Akunyili, Senator Joy Emordi, late Prof. Jadesola Akande, Hon. Justice
Roseline Ukeje, Mrs. Pauline K. Tallen, Mrs. Irene Chigbue, Prof. Ndi Okereke
Onyiuke etc. easily come to mind. At this point, I also spare a thought for
other unsung heroines, the small scale and sometimes road side women entrepreneurs,
most of whom are widows and have trained their children up to University level
from their petty business ventures.
The challenges and hurdles that beset women in the 21st century are not insurmountable.
It is heart-warming that female school enrolment, particularly in the Eastern
part of the country is at an all-time high. There is a display of urgency,
hunger and aggression by the young females to occupy the lofty positions in
the society hitherto the preserve of their male counterparts. Today, they
boldly apply to read courses like Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy, Accountancy
and Law, unlike the past era of reading Guidance & Counseling, Home Economics,
Catering; as good as these courses are also.
We must not lose sight of the fact that some of the challenges and hurdles
women face are institutionalized and so entrenched in our society that all
hands must be on deck to effectively tackle them. We must note that the full
potentials of women may not be fully realized due to family role expectations.
A lot of married women who strive to achieve career or business success are
faced with a heart-wrenching conflict of roles. Again, women's involvement
in the top league of entrepreneurship in Nigeria is very limited. Only a few
women who I can count on my fingertips sit at the apex of the organizational
charts of big corporations in the oil/gas, communications, banking, manufacturing,
transport, publishing and trading sectors of our economy. Constraints in finance
have not helped matters and most female entrepreneurs end up in the middle
and lower level cadres. The same goes for women involved in politics.
The issue of co-operation of the sexes is also important. Our men should not
see women as just objects of entertainment or pleasure, but as partners in
progress. The President, Governors, Local Government Chairmen, as well as
the Chief Executives of other semi-autonomous bodies should endeavour to appoint
qualified women to important positions. Political Parties especially, must
encourage qualified women to contest for elective offices. This gesture will
surely complement the fact that the largest registered voter base in the country
is the women.
Finally, we should all look forward to a Nigeria that will rank high among
the developing nations of the world. The task of nation building therefore
must remain an all-inclusive one and gender equality should not be perceived
as an advocacy for a society where women will rule over men, but of a changed
society which is built on equity, equal representation, equal opportunities,
co-operation and understanding. Only then would we be sure that we are marching
together on the path of national development.
By KELECHI
DECA