Why Buhari should appoint more women – Aremu

Recently, the world commemorated the 2016 International Women’s Day. As a union leader, do you advocate for women empowerment and gender equality in this country? First, on behalf of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), I salute Nigerian women and women worldwide. International […]

Recently, the world commemorated the 2016 International Women’s Day. As a union leader, do you advocate for women empowerment and gender equality in this country?
First, on behalf of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), I salute Nigerian women and women worldwide. International Women’s Day is held on March 8 every year to celebrate women’s achievements across nations. It is also known as the United Nations (UN) Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace. It is a time to reflect on the progress made; to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played extra-ordinary roles in the history of their community and countries.
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is ‘Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step it up for Gender Equality’. The UN has been declaring an annual equality theme for many years.
The Beijing Conference of 1995 clearly made it known that women’s rights are human rights.  Ever since, there has been increasing recognition that men and women are equal and complimentary not competitive. As a union leader like myself, I strongly support women empowerment and gender equality in this country.

 What is your union’s contribution in promoting gender parity in the nation?
 Our union has made significant contribution to gender parity in the country. In its contribution towards promoting parity, we have enforced 30% female representation in all union activities and programmes. At the national level (i.e. leadership) there is an automatic affirmation of a female representation as trustee during the delegates’ conference. This is in addition to the fact that female members can also contest any of the elective positions at the conference.  This position has also made it possible for a female deputy president (Comrade Chichi Emeogo) to emerge at one of our previous conferences.  We also had a female signing trustee like late Comrade Hauwa Ambi.  May her soul rest in peace.
At the branch level, it is mandatory for a woman to be among the elected nine (9) branch executives of a mill. This is the minimum as the number can increase if more women are elected. Also, the union has in place a women committee with members drawn from the various factories of the union. A workshop is held annually to bring women together to enlighten them, identify challenges and proffer possible solutions.  Delegates to the conference are also picked from the women zonal committees.

What is your assessment of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in terms of women empowerment and gender parity?
 Nigeria will be one of the leading 10 economies of the world if we allow gender equality and equal treatment of boys and girls. Seventy per cent of the country’s population are women. We must integrate this huge number of human resources in development if Nigeria must develop.
The president is trying, but he can do better. As organised labour, we therefore call on President Buhari today to consolidate on the gains the country has made in involving women in governance and further deepen this through appointment of more women in the affairs of the country.
So far out of the suspected public officers including retired generals being tried for corruption, women are not as involved as the men. The lesson here is that women in public office tend to have eyes on public welfare and goodness than some men who criminally rape the nation’s scarce resources.

 Why do you think women have eyes on public welfare and are less corrupt than men?
There are numerous reasons. For instance, pensioner and a woman, Mrs. Rose Arabameh Julius, has donated her monthly pension of N10,000 (ten thousand naira) to support the Buhari administration’s war against corruption. Mrs. Julius retired as a cleaner from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. She also promised to contribute N1,000 every month out of her  pension towards the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). She said that she was making the sacrifices because she was convinced that President Muhammadu Buhari is a tested man of integrity who can  be trusted to restore the lost glory of Nigeria and drastically curb corruption in the country.
Therefore, while some men are shamelessly looting the economy, a woman is helping to rescue the economy through self-imposed taxation. We encourage all Nigerians to emulate her.

The 2014 national conference had a resolution on the social sector which calls for equal opportunities for Nigerian women, and that resolution is yet to be implemented. What is your take on that?
 President Muhammadu Buhari should urgently implement the resolutions of the national conference on social sector which calls for equal opportunities for Nigerian women. One of the major challenges to parity is the issue of violence against women which has been on the increase lately especially as it relates to sexual harassment.
At this point, let me quickly add my voice to the call for the release of the Chibok girls and the freedom of other women who are suffering one form of oppression or the other.
Moreover, the 1999 Constitution guarantees sex-based equality. Ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) have laws that seek to eschew discrimination, equal opportunities and access to women, children and other vulnerable groups. It is time to make gender parity a reality.

 Senator Dino Melaye from Kogi-West senatorial district said Nigerian men should patronise ‘Made-in-Nigeria women’, thereby taking a swipe at Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State whom he said opted not to “patronise ‘Made-in-Nigeria women’. Do you think Melaye was right?
 Women issues are human issues. To this extent national language of discourse on women issues should also reflect human values, be gender sensitive not commercial. I hereby strongly condemn the statement credited to Senator Dino Melaye on the floor of the Senate recently.
Melaye, who is from Kogi-West senatorial district, while contributing to the motion by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, which advocated the need to patronise products made in Nigeria, took an unprovoked swipe at Governor Adams Oshiomhole, saying Nigerians should not emulate the governor whom he said opted not to “patronise ‘Made-in-Nigeria women’ but a foreign one”. This is one irresponsibility carried too far. Nigerian women and indeed all women are not articles of trade.
Women are not commodities like cars which senators like Dino are greedily bent on buying in spite of dwindling national resources.
Women do not need patronage by men of dubious character and warped perspective of women. On the contrary women like men need equal opportunities to add value to national and global development. Women like men and other humans are not made by any country but by Almighty God and they must be dignified accordingly. I use this opportunity to call on Senator Dino Melaye to withdraw the statement and issue a public apology to Nigerian women and all women worldwide.