Women and national development

I had rationalized that the Ministry of Women Affairs would definitely get one of those technocratic appointments, considering that woman development is vital to national development. Most of the MDGs, which are vehicles for national development, are hinged on the successful emancipation of the womenfolk from mundane challenges. My convictions led me as far as […]

I had rationalized that the Ministry of Women Affairs would definitely get one of those technocratic appointments, considering that woman development is vital to national development. Most of the MDGs, which are vehicles for national development, are hinged on the successful emancipation of the womenfolk from mundane challenges. My convictions led me as far as postulating that without the womenfolk, there won’t be V202020! Is attaining that vision realistic when 60% of women who make 50% of the population are embroiled in menial tasks? No, we might need at least 60% of the entire womenfolk functioning at full capacity.

The balance of output, both intellectually and physically are skewed to the advantage of the men folk. We have far too many market women, and not enough congresswomen, too many women frying and selling akara, and not enough chairing board meetings, close to 1/3 of our womenfolk occupy unspecialized roles.

We need to even the scale by ensuring that (right from now) girl child enrolment in school is at par with boy child enrolment, encourage more girls to take up math and science and ensure that their education is not cut short to accommodate cultural demands.

Maximizing, consolidating and channelling womanpower toward innovation, production (both material & virtual) and exportation is relevant to growth. Without a substantial representation of the womenfolk, we will only be witnessing a growth in half, and not in full. Granted, the rot didn’t just happen, but the steps we take today will surely prevent the free fall of the next generation of our women into a laborious, bleak existence. (Those were my private musings; they probably do not align with reality….but hey,  see who we got!)

Back to that TV appearance, the new minister of women affairs incidentally was saying something like “in line with Mr. President’s transformation agenda” well; it is of grave and personal interest to me and indeed all womenfolk to see how she intends to transform, by upgrading the social, political and economic levels of nearly 40,000,000(!) women and girls.

Since “transformation’’ seems to be the central (development) theme for this administration, I will like to believe that every cabinet member has formulated both tactical and strategic objectives for their ministries that will yield positive results.

With regards the ministry of women affairs, I will appreciate that she understands that her role is crosscutting and she will need to be championing and addressing peculiar issues relating to women across health, education, national orientation, and Local Government Areas etc.

We need, want to start getting acquainted with her strategy, which when fully launched and implemented should engender an institutionalized structure of transformation schemes across the challenges faced by women. We need her to enable (through merit and not affirmative action) women contribution in political and economic growth of the nation.

Her predecessor, Josephine Anenih practically sang and danced her tenure away (I have ample videos, ok maybe just 2!). We plead with the new minister to take her role seriously. We hope she will make a clean break with the sustained and deliberate degrading of the woman’s capacity. It is critical to not continue to indulge in frivolities, symbolic gestures, excessive tying of gele and wearing aso-ebi; it is time to actually ‘transform’ the lives of women and by proxy the nation.

Otherwise we will be forced to call for the appointment of a man to head the ministry of women affairs – save for the general and expected under-performance, he would at least not be breaking out in a song as though possessed.

Sandah wrote from [email protected]