‘Don’t be afraid of being more successful than your husbands’

The Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) yesterday concluded its three-day National Women Conference, with a charge on women to step up their entrepreneurial skills and not be afraid of being more successful than their spouses. The committee also urged women to take full advantage of the paradigm shift from Nigeria’s dependence on […]

The Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) yesterday concluded its three-day National Women Conference, with a charge on women to step up their entrepreneurial skills and not be afraid of being more successful than their spouses.

The committee also urged women to take full advantage of the paradigm shift from Nigeria’s dependence on oil and explore the many opportunities available in the fast growing agricultural industry.

These were part of the 22-point communiqué at the conclusion of the conference with the theme, “She Creates, She Transforms”, held at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos and read by the wife of the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello.

 “Women were charged to step up and not be afraid of being more successful than their spouses and must be willing to invest more to expand their pool of income,” the communiqué read in part.

 The conference also tasked women to embrace entrepreneurial disposition and get more involved in animal husbandry in order to increase daily production in the country, while government should also provide lands and the conducive environment for women farmers. Besides, women were encouraged to help one another by introducing themselves to organisations where funds from organisations such as the Fund for Agricultural Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN) and Bank of Industry, could be accessed.

 The conference also stressed the fact that women should be positively aggressive and assertive in order to contribute to the development of the nation.

In her closing remarks, the COWLSO Chairman and wife of the Lagos State governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, said it was important for Nigerian women to understand that they were in a unique situation at this point in time, and must see the current reality in the country not as a hopeless situation but an opportunity for entrepreneurial ambition to make a positive impact in a challenging situation.