By Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka
Abuja
Due to the prudence from God, she sees in women, the Founder/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a Non Governmental Organization (NGO), with head office in Chevron, Lekki Lagos State, that caters for the children of the poor and the needy in the society, in the areas of education and healthcare, Omas Foundation for Hope (OFH), an upshoot of an international media outfit: the Omas World of Glamour, Dr (Mrs) Joy Ezeike has appealed to Nigerians and those in authority to ensure that enough women are elected to chair the Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the country.
Giving the women the opportunity, according to her wouldn’t only address their denial in elective positions in the country, but also encourage them to actively participate in politics and management of resources at the rural areas.
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This women – upliftment fighter, made the appeal through a press release she made available to some media houses recently in one of her offices in Abuja
Hailing the Supreme Court (SC)’s recent judgement, which gave the LGAs, among others, financial autonomy, coupled with the order from the Federal Government (FG) to LGAs to put in place, democratically elected chairmen, who would be at the helm of affairs in the local government, Amb. Joy Ezeike maintained that the answer to delivery of democracy dividends to the rural dwellers are women. Due to the gift of effective management of resources under their possessions by God, a woman if elected, according to her, the rural dwellers will begin to feel government’s impact.
Although, Dr Ezeike wouldn’t hear of the women using the opportunity to challenge the men, who according to her are their husbands, but she was quick to add that as a woman, most girls she sponsored their education, are doing wonderfully well, within and outside school.
According to her, in most streets and markets in Nigeria, majority of the traders are women who started with little or nothing, selling on tables, and now, they are selling in shops and paying for rents of such shops.
Stating that most women who had one position or the other in the past performed very well, Dr Joy Ezeike said those in the present government in power are equally doing very well. Although this media giant and entrepreneur of note boasted that the first woman to have a car in Nigeria was Madam Tinubu, but was quick to inform that it wasn’t on record, and the first Nigerian woman legislator was recorded as the first woman to have a car. “If the women couldn’t do it, why was a woman able to own a car, when majority of the men wasn’t dreaming owning any,” she queried.
Hailing President Bola Tinubu for recognizing women in appointment in his government, Mrs Ezeike appealed to him to use his political and democratic wisdom to ensure that some women are elected into offices as LGAs chairmen, which if done, he went on, would help him a lot in delivering democracy dividends to the rural dwellers, as well as implementing his campaign promises.
Making her points, she enumerated women who excelled in the area of politics, which includes, Angela Merkel, Germany’s first female Chancellor, Theresa May, UK’s second female Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s third female Prime Minister and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia’s first female President.
Those who excelled in the area of business, she went on were: Mary Barra, GM’s first female CEO; Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo’s first female CEO; Susan Wojcicki, YouTube’s CEO and; Arianna Huffington, The Huffington Post’s Founder.
Those who excelled in the area of science and technology, according to her were: Marie Curie, Nobel Prize-winning, physicist and chemical; Jane Goodall primatologist and conservationist; Sally Ride, First American woman in space and; Fei-Fei Li, AI expert and director of Stanford AI Lab.
Those who excelled in the area of social justice and activism, according to her w were: Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and education activist; Rosa Parks, Civil Rights Icon; Gloria Steinem, Feminist Activist and Writer; Wangari Maathai and; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Environmentalist
Those who excelled in the area of arts and culture, according to hee we’re: Frida Kahlo, Artist and Feminist Icon; Oprah Winfrey; Media Executive and Former Talk Show Host; Beyoncé, Singer, Actress, and Entrepreneur and;
J.K. Rowling, Author and Philanthropist, among others
Noting that the women made significant impacts in their respective fields and serve as inspirations to future generations of leaders, she said that women like Prof Ngozi Okonjo – Iweala performed wonderfully well when she served as a minister in Nigeria, adding that as a DG in the World Trade Organization (WTO), she is equally performing better than her contemporaries, like wise people like Oby Ezekwesili, among others.
Accusing the present generation in Nigeria of not encouraging women in politics of their country, as is done in other countries, she said women like, Queen Amina of Zaria, Mrs Ransome Kuti, Margaret Ekpo, Ladi Kwali, among others, really did well at their time, she advised the present politicians to encourage women, for the result to be effective administration.
