…As Olu of Warri, Mahmoud, others advocate women inclusion
Kuni Tyessi in Abuja
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has assured Nigerians that bills supporting women’s rights and inclusion that failed to pass during the 9th Assembly will not suffer the same fate in the 10th Assembly.
Kalu spoke at the 40th anniversary celebration of NEWS Engineering Limited and launch of NEWS 40/40 Leadership Development Fellowship, held at the Abuja International Conference Centre, on Tuesday in Abuja.
He therefore expressed his commitment to championing the cause of women’s empowerment and ensuring that their voices are adequately represented in legislative processes.
His words: “I am sure when we take the constitutional amendment bill to Mr. President that will preach gender equality; that will preach gender equity; that will preach gender inclusiveness, the president will not say no to it.
“So, keep hope alive because we are coming with the renewed hope agenda that will renew the hope of women and bring them into the scheme of things.
“It is high time we stopped underestimating the power of a woman. Everything they handle with dedication they multiply. As the chairman of the constitutional review committee, I have a lot of work in my hand to make sure the repositioning of women folks in our country is achieved.
“The president, the vice president and the chief of staff are products of the parliament. The secretary to the federal government is also the product of the parliament. So, they understand the role that legislative intervention plays with regards to this kind of intervention that is needed and what is that?: that women should be given their place.”
While eulogizing the current Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of the organization, Lady Josephine Nwaeze, for her exceptional ability to lead the company successfully following the tragic loss of her husband, Kalu emphasized the need for Nigeria to recognize and appreciate the power of women.
According to him, “You know, most businesses come and die because the succession plan is not thorough. When they are thorough, the people they are handing over lack the capacity to take the dream and achieve the mission. But, she has been able to interpret the vision of her husband and has made it a mission such that a lot of missionaries are coming up on board and that’s a power of a woman.”
In the same vein, the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, commended Nwaeze for building on the legacy left behind by her husband and stressed the need for women to be given key positions in government to fast-track Nigeria economic development.
According to him, the impact of women in nation building cannot be ignored.
The monarch said: “I am sure there were many temptations to look at and wonder how he (her husband) could have done so much because I am sure those were very large shoes to fill. Sometimes, we freeze looking at big shoes to fill and while we might want to honour and respect the shoes before us, we must not fall into the temptation of stepping into those shoes. This is because the same God who created who left those shoes behind gave us our own unique shoe size.
“Deputy speaker, you spoke how a lady has made such impact but this shouldn’t surprise anyone because whatever it is that you give to a woman, they will nurture it, incubate it and they will produce a full manifestation of that seed that is given to them. The seed that he left with her, she has been able to incubate, nurture it and produce a standing, functional and thriving organisation better than what her husband left for her.”
On her part, the Minister of State of Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, while presenting her address also corroborated the need for greater female representation in political and social spheres.
She said: “We need more women in the National Assembly. In the next election cycle, please. Because we can have Rwanda doing the twinning system, we are the giant of Africa, so Nigeria should lead going forward.
“We also still have appointive positions and we need women to be part of them so that our numbers can go up because when you’re discussing issues that concern us, we will not contribute. We need out numbers to be more so that we can contribute our quota because anything you give a woman, she multiplies it and makes it better than you gave to her.
On her part, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of News Engineering Nigeria Limited, Lady Josephine Nwaeze, while speaking to the theme of the event, said: “We sincerely hope that all would be inspired by our experience through these years as you will find stories of perseverance, dedication, and the pursuit of excellence against all odds.
“As we mark this significant stage of our corporate history, we also cast our gaze towards the future, a future that holds the promise of greater achievements and enduring success.
“In this journey, we shall harness the full potential of technology to seize opportunities and explore innovations. Our commitment to excellence will drive us to develop and deploy the most relevant structures and architectural frameworks that ensure the sustainability of our legacy.”
