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What Hope For Women In 2011?

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Of a truth, women participation in politics is insignificant in our country Nigeria.

During the pre-colonial era, Nigerian women were very active in politics. They demonstrated awareness about their political rights through the Aba women of 1929 in which they fought the colonial rulers, a supposition that they would be taxed at a time of declining profit from the palm produce trade.

Despite their limited roles, Nigerian women have collective interest of speaking with one voice.

Findings have shown that the Nigerian woman performs five multiple roles. She is a mother, home manager, community leader and organiser, producer, social, cultural and political leader.

The 1995 Beijing Conference in China was a clarion call for the reawakening from age old bondage and cultural barriers. Significant progress have been recorded by female gender in politics in Nigeria in recent times.

Nigerian women waited for so long to have the first female senator in 1983, Senator Franca Afegbuna.

In 1992, out of 91 (ninety one)  senatorial seats into the National Assembly, a seat was won by a woman Kofo Akerele Bucknor from Lagos State. But in 1999, women won three seats in the senatorial namely Florence Ita, Stella Omu and Kirat Rasaki Gwandabe.

Presently, there are nine female senators in the National Assembly helping to shape events in legislature. They are Senators Joy Emordi (Anambra North), Gbemiso Saraki (Kwara Central), Senator Chris Anyanwu (Imo East), Hajia Zainab Abdukudir (Kure Niger), Iyabo Obasanjo Bello (Ogun Central).

Others include Lady Uffort Ekaette (Akwa-Ibom South), Mrs Patricia Akwashi (Nassarawa), Nkechi Nwogu (Abia Central) and Senator Grace F. Bent (Adamawa). As it is, the present political dispensation has a record of six female deputy governors including Erelu Olusola Obada, Osun State, Alhaji Salmont Makanjiu ola Badru (Ogun), Mrs Virgy Etiaba (Anambra State), Dr Mrs Ada Okuonu (Imo State), Mrs Sara Adebisi Sosan (Lagos State) and Mrs Pauline .K. Tallen (Plateau State). Women need more political awareness and consciousness.

Women marginalisation in the political sphere is apparent. Not a single executive state governor is a woman. A number of reasons may account for this and include apparent discrimination and the difficult methods of conducting political affairs at party and community levels that make it difficult for women to participate effectively in politics.

It is worthy to note that our President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, holds women in high esteem when it comes to politics.

Mrs Priscillia Ibienimi, a politician and business woman advised that women should be given preference in terms of elective positions, stressing that the rule adopted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should be religiously implemented where it is stated, that where women seek for nomination and elective position, be it councillorship position, or chairmanship position if it is only one woman, such woman automatically becomes the candidate of the party without any primaries to be conducted with her male counterpart.

Participation of women in politics is still very low said Madam Lali Green, a renown politician. She advocated a campaign for enlightenment of women. She lamented that women shy away from politics because of the do or die nature of politics contending that women cannot withstand men in terms of violence, though there are women that are wild in nature.

Mrs Lali Green reiterated the need that women are willing to take up the challenge and rise to the rostrum to defend the cause of women in Nigeria’s politics if given the right political equilibrium.

It is pertinent to recall that late former president Alhaji Musa Yar’Adua of Blessed memory kept to his promise appointing 30 per cent women into his cabinet.

The late president kept to his promise through the appointments of the following, Professor Dora Akunyili, Minister of Information and Communication, Mrs S. H. Sulaiman, Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Deziani Allison Madueke, Minister of Mines  and Steel Development, Mrs Fidelia .A. Njeze, Hon Minister of State, Agriculture and Water Resources, Hajia Aisha Dukku, Hon Minister of State Education.

Also inclusive is Mrs Grace Ekpiwhre, Hon Minister of State, Works  and Housing, Ms Amal Pepple was the Head of Service of the Federation while Mrs Farida Waziri is the Economic and Financial Crime Commission Boss.

Women participation in politics has taken a progressive leap since the advent of the nation’s democracy making a difference in the lives of women to become more politically conscious, focused and service to humanity.

Nonetheless, women need courage and support from their male counterparts, the civil society and other individuals as women are considered to be in various positions to provide effective leadership as in other countries.

The pathetic state of womanhood threw a challenge to spouses of rulers in this country, hence the birth of programmes in the 20th century such as better life for rural women and its success and Family Support Programme 1995. Today, we have Pet Programmes to alleviate the suffering of women, change her perspective to fit into the changes and challenges of the 21st century. Such programmes include Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF) The Child Care Trust.  Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI) in Rivers State, is a household name because destinies of women have reshapened and reshapened by the acquired Taxi given to beneficiaries through the wife of the Governor of Rivers State, Dame Judith Amaechi. The glory goes to God and thanks to a mother of great vision and love for humanity who has helped Rivers women to sustain their families with the commercial taxis.

Also, the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dame Patience Ibifaka Jonathan, an amiable woman is endeared to many for her philanthropic and charitable works to widows and orphans.

Founder of the A. Aruera Reach Foundation that over the last eight years trained 4,000 women in different skills to enable them take care of themselves and their families.

Indeed she is a role model adding value to the lives of women, orphans and the less privileged.

Her soup kitchen largesse has turned the lives of women around for the better.

Dame Patience Jonathan assisted with medical care on children with heart condition.

Recently, she was in her home state Rivers to launch her dream Women for Change Initiative.

Actually, women have come a long way in Nigeria and should be treated equally with their male counterparts. No preferential treatment should be given to the men. Women are working very hard to keep this country going.

 

Julie Jumbo

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Women

The Desire Of Every Woman In Marriage

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A woman needs a man that is honest,  trustworthy,  nice,  loving and financially stable.
There are no two ways about finance in marriage. No matter the level of love, If there is no money,  it is always difficult.


Referring to the Biblical belief in Genesis 3:Your desire  shall be unto you……..
That is one aspect  the woman expects her husband to take care of.
A woman wants a husband that is not lazy,  at least helping to do one or two things.   A man that is educated and intelligent.
She knows that there is a trait that her husband has.  Traits of taking care of people,  giving freely to people and caring for her family.
A woman wants to love a husband that has family interest at heart. A man that spends time with his family,  remembering his family even as he is away from home.
A woman should not antagonise her husband because of one error or the other. No matter the level of offence he may have committed, you still show some love.


According to the Scripture, it is with wisdom that the women builds her home.
It is not as if the woman will not monitor her husband, but to certain limit.  Don’t be a monitoring spirit.  Don’t allow anything to take your joy.
Don’t loose trust in your husband.
The idea of checking your husband’s phone should be discouraged. The more you check your husband and his phone, the more you loose your joy.


The home should not be a battle ground for a woman and man.  A woman should be able to ask herself if the check on her husband will pay her any good.
Draw a line to a point where you checkmate your husband’s activities.
A woman wants a man that will love her and telling her you love her will be all she desires.

Eunice Choko-Kayode

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Women

What Women Want In Yet-To -Be Husbands

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What women want in their yet-to- be husbands matters a lot as far as marriage is concerned.
A woman desires a good fnancial prospect. Interestingly, some modern women place a man’s financial potential as more desirable than they have in the past.
Many decades ago, women ranked it lower on the list. It still comes in after items like love and maturity, but perhaps today’s women realise that a good economic partner is good husband material.
Good health has been an important characteristic for women through the 20th century and remains so these days. One might argue that because we’re living even longer, health plays a huge role in the success of a marriage. Women are anxious to know that their partners are healthy to be able to run the family together.
You discover that in most faith based organisations, would- be couples are mandated to go for medical tests to ascertain their health status as it concerns HIV/AIDS, Genotype and other related ones. This according to stakeholders is to ensure that couples raise healthy families.
Ambition has become less important to women over time, though it still being considered even if women nowadays are thriving in the workforce competing with the male folk. It may be because more women are thriving in the workforce, they want a husband who has earning power but are not looking for him to be the sole provider.
More women want husbands with pleasing disposition. They may not want a man who is always moody. A man who is always cheerful is whom they desire.
Surprisingly, a man’s likes do not rank as high on women’s list of wants as it used to. Until recently, women are more willing to accept a man for who he his, despite the inevitable mood he may be.
Sociability from both men and women rank very high on their marriag material list. And for both sexes, it has been steadily moving up the list for many years. The rise of the “love marriage,” a partnership based on attraction rather than practicalities (like wealth or status) might mean that married couples are more likely to be friends and have mutual circles of friends.
A lot of couples want to associate with others and then socialise. Attending parties of other friends forms part of their marriage requirements.
Women have placed education and intelligence top making it one of their most desirable male traits for decades. This timeline coincides with more and more women receiving college education themselves. Once education becomes important in women’s lives, it is a more attractive trait in potential husbands.
Of course when a woman is educated, she is likely to go for an educated man. When they are gainfully employed, their income boost the family affairs faster.
Today, women are much more attracted to men who are interested in home and family than they ever have been. Men who have desire for their home and children is whom they desire.
After a days job, a man will come home to ensure that his children are comfortable. Because most women today are expecting to be in dual-earner relationships, they want husbands who will be happy and willing to contribute at home. More women today even report that they hope he will take the lead at home.
A woman wants a man who is emotionally stable and mature. Growing big physically is not the issue but maturity in the heart.
Men, too, place a heavy emphasis on a potential wife’s emotional maturity, signaling that it is a key quality for a stable partnership. Women seem to look past appearance to the heart of the matter.
A woman wants a man who is not easily provoked. Dependable character is what some women want in marriage.
Women want husbands that they can count on, and this has not changed in recent years. Yes, women look to their spouses to be lovers and friends, they also want them to be supportive and trustworthy. They want to know that their husbands will be there and remain loyal. Men, too, desire dependable character from their yet-to be wives.
Mutual attraction and love from the first appearance is what they want till they become old.
The highest-rated characteristic women seek from men is mutual attraction and love. Some no longer look for a man who will provide everything, afterall they are also educated and are gainfully employed, they want to be in love.
For some women, even when the man do not provide household needs, the love shown on her is enough. When women had no job prospects and needed to marry, they desired love . The women’s movement has not only helped women pursue careers, it has also given them more choice in love.

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Echoes Of IWD : Need To Invest In Women

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As this year’s Internatinal Women’s Day (IWD) has come and gone, there are calls from different quarters on the need to invest in women so that we can achieve accelerated growth.
It was, indeed, a thing of joy when Rivers Women Unite For Sim, took delivery of large quantities of sanitary towels and some bags of rice provided them for this year’s celebration.
Many young women expressed joy that they got such gesture since some of them have financial problems getting sanitary towels whenever they are on.
Some secondary school students were also lucky to have a share of the benefits. They also got some sanitary towels.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Women Affairs organised a platform to celebrate and honour the women for the remarkable jobs they perform in their homes and society.
Addressing women on the occasion, the Hon. Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr. Roseline Apawari Uranta, noted that women from time immemorial have been great pillars in achieving remarkable heights and stressed that IWD across the globe is pivotal all women for the roles they play in bringing, nurturing and sustaining life.
Dr. Uranta said that IWD, which started in 1911 and celebrated annually on March 8, is a global day that provides women a platform to address economic inclusion, participation in political and public life.
She said the day was set aside to look into lack of access to education for the girl-child, gender-based violence, child marriage, child trafficking, harmful cultural practices as well as other challenges facing women around the globe.
The Hon. Commissioner, who described March 8 as a day to celebrate the socio-economic, cultural and political achievements of women, emphasised that it is a day that offers women the opportunity to reflect on progressive achievements.
Noting that it is an opportunity to call for change, she stressed that it is also an opportunity to celebrate acts of courage and every achievement made by ordinary women who did extraordinary things and are remembered in history.
She noted that the IWD2024 theme:”Invest In Women, Accelerate Progress”, is timely and apt because according to her, to achieve gender equality, we must ensure that the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women do not elude them.
Her words: ” We must see investing in women as a human right issue and consider investing in women as a social tool to eradicate poverty since women are helpmeet in the homes while a handful are breadwinners in their respective families”.
The commissioner urged women to uphold the deliberate act of investing in themselves, be it furthering formal education, developing a new skill as well as learning a trade.
“Shun idleness, always find something positive and productive to do, regardless of your age, social status and financial capabilities”, she said.
In a paper presentation, Dr. Dabota God’swill Jumbo, reiterated that investing in women would attract good and positive dividends to herself and the society at large and noted that it is essential in addressing poverty, hunger and climate change.
The guest speaker said women need more opportunities in elective and appointive positions, hence the need to encourage and support them in politics.
According to her, when you invest in women, they will be able to create safer environment devoid of gender-based violence.
In a goodwill message, the spokesperson, Rivers Women Unite For Sim, Mrs Charity Deemua appreciated the organisers for making it possible for women to gather and celebrate themselves.
She commended those who created a day like March 8 of every year to celebrate women and regretted that the girl-child was seen as a second-class person decades ago.
The former commissioner, Rivers State House of Assembly Commission, described those who taught it wise for women to celebrate as conquerors, tough and strong.
International Association of World Peace Advocates, a world-class organisation with the United Nations, honoured different categories of women.
In Cross River State, 150 women were empowered with about N15m to boost their small and medium scale businesses.
According to stakeholders, the women empowerment is vital in addressing social, economic and political challenges and will make them self-reliant.
An NGO, Association of Professional Women Engineering Technologists (APWET), said it’s aim is to promote professional excellence among engineering personnel, advocating for women and girl-child education.
With what we saw in terms of response to women’s call on issues affecting them from relevant authorities, we are optimistic that the women will do better whenever they are empowered.
If we must kick out cervical, breast and other forms of cancer in women, underage marriage, prostitution, we must invest in women.
There were goodwill messages from National Council for Women Societies (NCWS), International Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA), Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC, Nigeria Association of Female Journalists (NAWOJ), among others.

By: Eunice Choko-Kayode

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