President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has assured the public that women will be properly represented in his administration.
Tinubu said this yesterday in Abuja, at the public presentation of a book titled: “101 Nigerian Women of Impact”, authored by Barrister Zainab Marwa, daughter of Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd).
Tinubu, represented by the National Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Betta Edu, said women had paid the price for the development, peace and unity of Nigeria and must be appreciated.
“Nigerian women have paid the ultimate price for the development peace and unity of Nigeria and this can never be overlooked. All I can say is Nigerian women can go home smiling because they will have one of the best times in representation in government.
“Nigerian women will be appreciated. Today is a celebration of Nigerian women. They have done well and still doing well. We are proud of every effort that has been put on the table.
“The message you have sent by writing the book to celebrate 101 women amongst over 100 million is simple. You can aspire to be more. The second message is that by working together we can change the picture of Nigeria.
“Nigeria is at a turning point and the missing chip in that puzzle that would fix this country and give us the speed we need are the women folk. This is your call to action and development,” he said.
On his part, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State urged the federal and state governments to empower more women and give them more political appointments for rapid national development.
“Women no longer belong to the backseats, they are now contributing positively and maximally to the growth of the country. I will urge the Federal and states governments to empower women towards national prosperity and give them more political appointments,” he said.
Commending the publication of the book, Prof. Zulum said the book was a starting point towards documenting the achievements of Nigerian women making impact in the political and economic spaces.
In his remarks, the Senior Special Assistant Media and Publicity to the President, Mr Femi Adesina, said the book would be a motivator for women to do more for the country.
Adesina, who was the book reviewer, said it captured the importance of Nigerian women’s contributions to national development.
In his speech, father of the author, Brig. Gen. Marwa said he was delighted that her daughter has written a book on a subject that has currency for the current world and its future.
He said, “Our world still remains largely a man’s world. The list of achievers still remains largely male in business, entertainment, sports, and what have you. But in truth, a critical assessment of the state of the world today will lay bare the truth that women, and indeed, more women, are standing tall and doing exploits like their male counterparts in different areas of human endeavour.”
According to him, sustainable development cannot be achieved without women, thus, women who have paid their dues in their various fields deserve to be recognised, spotlighted and celebrated.
In an interview with journalists after book launch, the author, Zainab Marwa, said she was inspired to write the book to encourage many more young Nigerian girls and women to contribute to the growth of Nigeria and well-being of citizens.
Explaining her motivation for writing the book, she said, “I needed mentors to inspire my desire to run for office (in 2019), but I couldn’t find any.”