NOTABLE WOMEN WHO HAVE FREED THEMSELVES
FROM PRISON/CAGE OF GENDER INEQUALITY
Gender equality refers to the equal rights, responsibilities,
and opportunities of women and men, girls and boys. Equality does not mean that
women and men will become the same, but that women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities
and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female.
There is an adage that
says “what is good for the goose is good for the gander”. It is high time the
society knew that all the rights given to men or boys are absolutely well
deserved by the women and the girls.
Gender
equality is not women’s issue but should concern and fully engage men as well
as women. Equality between women and men is seen as a human rights issue and as
a precondition for, and an indicator of, sustainable people-oriented
development.
Nigeria is no
doubt blessed with influential women who have affected the country and its
image in one way or the other. They cut across all spheres in the country, from
the political arena to the business sectors. These are women who stand out in
their fields or by virtue of the position they occupy.
MRS. AISHA BUHARI:
Aisha Buhari was born in Adamawa
State.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from Ahmadu Bello
University (ABU). She is a women's right activist and child right Advocate. She
is one of the Nigerians who criticized girl-child marriages and homosexuality.
She has, on several occasions, emphasized
the need for young girls to get Primary and Secondary school education before
getting married, saying that she believes no girl should get married before the
age of 17.
For years, Mrs. Aisha Buhari has run a
successful business as the Founder/Managing Director of Hanzy Spa and Principal
of Hanzy Beauty Institute, a Beauty salon in Kaduna and Abuja.
LATE MRS. OLUWAFUNMILAYO RANSOME-KUTI -
Ransome-Kuti's
political activism led to her being described as the doyen of female rights in
Nigeria and was regarded as “The Mother of Africa.”
Early on she
was a very powerful force advocating for women's right to vote.
LATE PROF. DORA AKUNYILI
Prof. Dora Nkem Akunyili (OFR) was born in
Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. Prof. Akunyili, was an internationally renowned
Pharmacist, Pharmacologist, Erudite Scholar, Seasoned Administrator, and a
visionary leader. She has served her country in numerous strategic positions
including Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Federal Minister of Information and
Communication.
A woman above
her male counterparts of vision and highly intelligent, who performed
excellently well in all national assignment she handled.
MRS. FARIDAH WAZIRI
Ever since she was appointed to
occupy the office of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), Mrs. Waziri has not stopped being in the news. The
organization is Nigeria’s main anti-corruption agency. Her organization should
normally spell dread in some places, especially among politicians. She has come
under criticisms concerning her approach to corruption fighting in the country.
That notwithstanding however, a good number of people would do anything to be
in her good books.
DR. NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA
She holds the record of being the first woman
to serve as the Managing Director of the World Bank as well as those of
Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs and Finance Minister. She served as Finance Minister
under President Obasanjo and was later moved to the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
In October
2005, she led the Nigerian team that struck a deal with the Paris Club, to pay
a portion of Nigeria’s external debt of $12 billion in return for an $18 billion
debt write-off. She was appointed as the Finance Minister by President Goodluck
Jonathan and she has embarked on a project of helping to reduce re-current
expenditure and concentrate on capital projects. A recent international
publication rated her as the 87th most powerful woman in the world.
DR. OBIAGELI EZEKWESILI
Oby, a trained Chartered Accountant was a
co-founder of Transparency International, a global anti-corruption body. She
has served as Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals and later Education.
Prior to that
time, she had been appointed as the pioneer head of the Budget Monitoring and
Price Intelligence Unit which was often referred to as the Due Process Unit.
She earned herself the name “Madam Due Process” while serving in that office.
After her exit
from the Federal Executive Council, she moved to the World Bank where she
serves as the Vice President of the Africa division.
HAJIYA (DR.) TITILAYO AMINA ATIKU ABUBAKAR,
wife of
Nigeria’s former vice president and Turakin Adamawa, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar
comes across as a humble, motherly figure with strength of character. She has
for a long time been speaking with a loud voice against the travails of women
and children through her pet project, Women Trafficking and Child Labour
Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF) as the platform. Hajiya Abubakar is a very
hardworking person. Before joining her husband in the Presidency, she was a
lecturer at the popular Kaduna Polytechnic where she worked for ten years.
Do you want to be the next great woman in Nigeria?
Then do not give up on yourself and your education. Education is power that can
never be underestimated.
Your ultimate freedom is the right and power to
decide how anybody or anything outside yourselves will affect you.
You have inside of you a piece of good news.
The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love!
What you can accomplish! And what your potential is.
You have the potential to achieve all those
things men in the society are achieving. You are born to have equal right as
the men. You deserve to get all they are given and the same peak they reached,
but your freedom will be discarded if you fail to realize the greatness and
potentials in you
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``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````BY:
OLUKAYODE FADAIRO
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