Rose A. Uwadia-Jacobs is the Special Assistant, Women and Gender Affairs, to the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara. In this interview with ENE OSANG she speaks on equality in Nigeria among others issues
Until the 19th century, women were treated as the inferior sex and were excluded from areas like education, certain professions as well as politics.
Today, the narrative has changed following advocacy and agitation of gender activists globally in the campaign for equal opportunities for both males and females.
For the Special Assistant to the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rose A. Uwadia-Jacobs, the issue of inequality between men and women is a dicey issue that has been in existence for many years.
This, she said, makes it imperative for advocates to ensure that the public is educated and well guided on the concept as most people either don’t understand or misunderstand the issue.
Uwadia-Jacobs, who expressed confidence that gender equality is achievable in Nigeria and in the world in general, if advocates persevere in the process, emphasised that women have a key role to play in bringing this to reality.
She said every woman has the responsibility to nurture their children, male and female, equally in order to achieve the paradigm shift they all clamour for, noting that those who are affected most needed to take the lead.
“Gender equality is achievable, what we are talking about is the process. Though it might take time but we will get there,” she said.
The legislative aide expressed hope that the future would be brighter for girls and women, saying there is increased advocacy and commitment by those championing the struggle.
“The bill for gender equality is at the committee level, it has gone through second reading and with time it would be passed,” she assured.
“We must know that the struggle comes with a lot of responsibility. Sometimes we take a leap without counting the cost. Gender equality is not a western thing it is a fundamental human right, and if we keep seeing it as a western thing it would face a lot of resistance.
“A lot of voices calling for equal opportunities in political space, governance, career etc but there is a price to pay and the achievement comes with a price.
The Special Assistant maintained that, “Gender inequality didn’t start from a hundred years ago, it has been there from time immemorial. I remember in the Bible, Numbers 21, there are daughters who were not given inheritance even when they demanded for it.
“Here we are today contending with culture and religion but we are not where we used to be, by God’s grace in the next 10 years we would have achieved more in this struggle and leave a better future for our girls to aim higher and achieve all their dreams.”
She described women as “the salt factor” that is the ingredient Nigeria needs now, urging them to carry out the equality struggle in righteousness if there must be any headway.
On how achievable the struggle is in Nigeria she noted that the struggle has come a long way, expressing hope for better days ahead.
“We are not where we were 20 years ago. So, all we need is more understanding, even the women have to understand what it means because a lot of women just follow the train but they need to understand and want it themselves.
“The achievement is not trying to be a man; the equality we are talking about is the expression of potentials which is a human right.
“Culture and tradition comes in but like some cultures are done away with, certain constraints will also be done away with time,” she added.
Speaking further, she said: “Gender equal opportunity is calling for both men and women to be given opportunity to express their potential and capacity and not to measure up with men.”
On the President Muhammadu Buhari’s led administration’s poor involvement of women in governance, Uwadia-Jacobs noted that many factors were responsible for the development.
“Retrogression in the number of women representatives could be caused by a lot of economic factors. To be in governance takes a lot of money and certain women might not be in the right season to join in now because of a lot of other responsibilities on them.
“Retrogression could also have been lack of mentoring those who have gone ahead, how many others have they nurtured? Sometimes the survival can be so strong that sometimes you forget those around you.
“We have loop holes here and there but it is something that should be closed as time goes on. Sometimes when there is a retrogression all we need is to re-adjust and find where we went wrong. So, it is not a retrogression per say, it is a time to re-assess and know what went wrong.”
Uwadia-Jacobs maintained that the Speaker, Hon Dogara, “is very gender sensitive and I like you to know that we are pioneering thisoffice so it is taking shape.
“Women are nurturers and builders and it is a time to build in righteousness. In the past this notion is only talked about but today we are walking our talk.”
