BREAKING THE BIAS; A REFLECTION ON THE OCCASION OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY.
As we celebrate International Women's Day today, we are invited to reflect on the immense contributions and genuine commitments of women towards the development of our country and the world.
We have seen how in history women have made great impacts in our nation. We remember the poised Queen Amina of Zaria, the extraordinary works of pottery by Ladi Kwali, the greatness of Mrs. Ramsome Kuti, and the rest whose great works and love for this nation have continually been a source of our inspiration and guide.
We remember women who boldly ventured into the field to break the bias by taking the lonely path to become the first to sit as judges, pilots, business CEOs, legislators, governors, engineers, doctors, military officers, and policymakers.
Women who in the words of one believe that I think if he could, I could too, women who have refused to comply with the societal standard of just being ordinary housewives but have rather made efforts to bring to the table their contributions. Yes, such women like Prof. Akunyili left an indelible mark in the nation's health sector.
We celebrate those women who like the Poet, Alice Walker, "knew what is it we exactly must know without knowing a page of it".
We equally celebrate those who have groomed us into what we are today. Their flavors to our society are what we celebrate today.
We see their unique contributions as we reflect on our success and development as a people. We remember their invaluable and extraordinary talents in putting forward the efforts that have kept us moving as a country. Such women like Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Oby Ezekwensili, Justice Maryam Mukhtar, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Prof. Dora Akunyili, Toyin Saraki, Funke Adeoye, Funke Akindele, amongst many others whose efforts stand as witnesses to their greatness and ingenuity.
As we reflect on their contributions, we also are reminded of the realities of the day, how women still battle for seats in our legislative houses, how their rights are still very much abused in our domestic settings, how their human resources are underutilized and untapped, how the society has placed a barrier for them in terms of work and benefits, how less they are considered in different sectors as we have few of them as CEOs of Businesses, Administrators and policymakers.
While others will look at these as issues of cultural connotations, it will be only right to consider them as elements of societal malaise and should be dealt with severely.
As we continue the celebration of the day, we have also been reminded of the lessons we have been taught from our historical realities about the extraordinary works of women in building the world and our country in particular. The likes of Opera Winfred, Madeleine Albright, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Michelle Obama, and the host of others are shining references that they are not less as intelligent, skillful, talented, qualified, fearless, smart, courageous, and resourceful as the men.
This is why we crusade for that one principle which is found in all world resolutions on the right of women to be fully practiced and that is the plea that the basic rights of women and girls should be respected as that of men and boys. This is all they are asking for and we each must make it happen.
Making the above happen is not a project to be achieved in a day or week or months or year or a decade but just as Marge Piercy said
"It goes on one at a time,
it starts when you care
to act, it starts when you do
it again and they said no,
it starts when you say We
and know you who you mean, and each day you mean one more."
So this progress in women's rights is a step-by-step process that must be guided accordingly such that any breakthrough becomes a platform to crusade for the achievement of another. As such we must hoist from today the flag of support to provide an enabling environment for our young women and daughters. Equal opportunities for both the male and female gender will be a great way to start. Their empowerment is necessary to push our economy forward.
Interestingly, this year's theme is not only captivating but a very sensitive one and it is for me a step towards that ideal revolution that we seek for the betterment of our women's rights. Breaking the biases. It speaks to the need for a fair system that will grant equal opportunities for our women to compete with their contemporaries. There's virtually no area that women have not contributed immensely. Is it in sport, the justice system, sciences, health, military, economy, religion, politics, education, etc.? In each of these sectors, our women have been doing so well in terms of human resources and deployments of skillset to ensure the betterment of our economy and our nation.
If we must build a peaceful and sustainable nation, the rights of our women to compete for positions of influence with their contemporaries must be provided for and safeguarded.
This is to also emphasize the need for our present generation to support the capacity-building of women who will hold up the legacies these great women have created over time. For this is the only true way to honor their efforts.
Let's try this and see what will happen.
I celebrate all of our women today.
Cheers to all you are doing.
God bless you all.
©ATER, Solomon Vendaga
Penultimate Law Undergraduate, University of Abuja
+2348025263078
0 Comments