Shun unhealthy rival while pursuing gender parity, Group cautions women

Conference
By Usman Aliyu
Ilorin, Dec. 9, 2019 (NAN) Dr Modupe Ogunniyi, National Coordinator, Agricultural and Entrepreneurial Skills Development Initiative for Women and Youths (AESDIW&Y), has called on women groups to shun unhealthy rivalry while trying to achieve gender equality.

Ogunniyi made the call in Ilorin on Monday while speaking at the plenary discussion on “Gendered Work-Space: Realities and Responses” at an International Conference on Workers Education and Employment Relations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme was organised by Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, Ilorin, in conjunction with the Nigerian Industrial and Employment Relations Association.

NAN also reports that the Department of Employment Relations and Human Resources Management, University of Lagos, is also one of the organisers of the programme.

Ogunniyi stated in her presentation that rather than engaging in rivalry, women should make conscious efforts to present the best in their midst for socio-political engagements, leadership and effective representation in all spheres.

“Though creation, thoughts, language, science and psychoanalysis as well as urban/rural spacing have already made the gender difference clear, I want to observe that creation equally made the gender to complement each other in innumerable ways.

“Women should be self-aware of who they are, not with arrogance, but with the boldness and assertiveness of that awareness.

“They should insist on maintenance of their spaces and their self-worth; proving the self-worth by their level of intelligence, commitment and effective service delivery.

“Though the society has created limits and diminishing spaces for women, by tagging them ‘respectable women’, provided the limits are not broken, women should not have their human rights gagged.

“Those so-called limits in urban/rural spacing, religion, socio-political economic realities and even governance need to be restructured through high-level engagement of powers that be,” she said.

Ogunniyi identified advocacy/lobbying, intense and non-stop awareness creation at all strata and deployment of other machineries at the disposal of women as techniques to break such limits and for them to have fulfilment and happiness which, she said was their right.

She stressed the need to appeal to the understanding of the powers that be for at least 35 percent women representation in governance.

Ogunniyi also called on women in positions of authority to mentor the girl-child and young women for assertiveness, courage, boosting of self-esteem and leadership. (NAN)

AUO/ORO/WAS

Edited by Razak Owolabi and ‘Wale Sadeeq