By Vanessa ObiohaÂ
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The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman advocated for gender equity and inclusiveness in Nigeria, regretting that the ratio of men to women in appointive and elective positions was still a far cry from the expected.Â
Delivering a paper on Equity and Inclusiveness, Bala-Usman decried the poor representation of women in politics which according to her did not go beyond the position of a national leader. Â
“It is said that the representation of women in Nigerian parliament is 5.11 while the National Bureau of Statistics put the number of women in appointive and elective positions at 6.7% a far cry from the African average of 23.4% and the 35% affirmative action recommended by the Beijing Conference. Interventions to improve equity or the equality of gender as advised by the United Nations include increasing women’s leadership and participation, enhancing women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women and girls, engaging women in peace and security responses and making plans and budgets gender-responsive.Â
“When we look at these indices, it should be obvious to us that Nigeria is very far from equity. Apart from the fact that only one woman has been governor, Dame Virginia Ngozi Etiaba was the Governor of Anambra State and Hon Patricia Etteh who was the Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives for four months, no woman has been chair of a major political party in Nigeria, neither has any political party appointed a woman as national vice-chairman from any of the zones. As far as our political parties are concerned the most important role women should play in politics is that of National Woman Leader!”
 While highlighting other areas where women had fewer representations, Bala-Usman argued that lack of access to education was not the only factor that deprived women from occupying top echelons in the society but traditional and religious beliefs.Â
“We are essentially a patriarchal society in which different parts of the country have literarily instituted ways in which women are limited. If it is not through lack of access to education, it is denial of ownership of land and assets or forced early marriage, discrimination in inheritance rights, human resources development and sustainable economic growth and what have you.
“My experience has taught me that preparation is the most important factor to actualisation. I say to women that we must not allow ourselves to be defined by their gender. “
We should build our capacity to be the best in areas that we have chosen for ourselves and earn our respect through competence that is obvious to all. When people see that we add value to every environment and situation that we find ourselves, even if we they continue to deny us what is due us, it would no longer be our fault,” she pointed out.
 She also encouraged Organisations like WIMBIZ to network with others to raise public consciousness on the need to eradicate harmful practices that militate against the actualisation of women as well as the introduction or in some cases, the enforcement of existing laws that address these practices.
