IWD and changing roles of women

Women in Nigeria joined their counterparts across the globe in celebrating the International Women’s Day on March 8, raising the questions on whether or not the women had reasons to celebrate. Milestones achieved as well as challenges bedevilling the Nigerian woman were brought to the fore. In this report, ALIYU USMAN VULEGBO examines the changing roles of women.

It goes without saying that Nigeria has achieved some milestones in the march towards emancipation and empowerment, however, occasions like the International Women’s Day (IWD) affords, advocates and women generally, opportunity to assess progress made and challenges mitigating against achieving set goals.

However, on the occasion of the 2018 IWD, a feminist watching the proceedings on the floor of the House of Representatives, would have been struck by unbelief when Hon. Mohammed Gudaji Kazaure, stood up to declare, his fears of more opportunities being given to women.

In his characteristic bluntness, Hon. Kazaure was at his honest best when he said “Women need government to give them opportunity; it’s good to give women opportunity in terms of politics, entrepreneur and others, but not too much.

“You would come here one day and find out that women are everywhere in this chamber and they will mess up. If we have women constitute 70 to 80 percent in this chamber, they will mess up.”

That alone would have been too much for any woman’s right advocate but the parliamentarian didn’t stop there. He added:

“If we give them (women) an opportunity outside (politics) and at home, they would capture everything because most of them are very intelligent. If we give more chance, they will one day overthrow us.”

For many women, this is the type of reality that defines how much they aspire to in life. Which is why whenever such women succeed, despite far and between opportunities, it inspires a new generation to believe that they can close the gender gap.

Hon. Kazaure was right on point that women are intelligent. Many of them have traversed our national lives and served in various capacities. However, there is a generation of young women, who are carrying on the torch and believe that the future holds greater promise.

Hadiza Isah, who is undergoing her housemanship at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital at Shika. Speaking on the perception and stereotype about women in the medical sciences, she said: “To be honest with you the perception has drastically changed over the years. There are just as many women as there are men in the medical field here at the hospital, where I am in Zaria.

“I have also noticed that the perception of the patients is changing too. But more critically, I can tell you that in medical schools, more females students seem to get in than males.”

Similarly, a serial entrepreneur, Maryam Mustapha, who has just launched her new enterprise, a restaurant called The Foodies, insists that she is driven by the need to be financially independent. “We are living in a time when the value that you add to the people around you matters,” she said.
“Personally, I want to see people happy. I want to bring about development, I want to empower people. That is what I’m doing and, in the process, I’m getting fulfilment,” she added.

The passion expressed by the young women keeps the flame burning for other women who aspire to heights. And one can say these types of goals also have its effects on why the roles of women in the society keeps changing and women across the country keep breaking new grounds and blazing trails.

Women have moved, successfully into the mainstream in the consideration of things, they are now co-bread-winners or in some instances, the sole breadwinners of their families.

In business, civil service and even in the military, women are excelling. In December last year, Commodore Jamila Malafa became the first woman from northern Nigeria to attain the rank of a General in the Nigerian military. Before her, we saw the appointment of Amina Mohammed to the United nations as the Deputy Secretary General of the body.

At a point last year, both the Head of Service of the Federation and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation were women. The achievements of women like late Prof. Dora Akunyili; DIG Ivy Okoronkwo; Justice Maryam Aloma Mukhtar, Mrs. Patricia Etteh; Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala; Prof. Remi Sonaiya; Mrs. Folorunso Alakija; and even the ‘nearly’ experience of Hajiya Jummai Alhassan, who came close to becoming the first elected female governor in the country, remain shining examples of how far women have come as professionals and it reflects their growing economic and political power.

However, while women at the top are seen and celebrated, others who have not had fame and good fortune have also not lowered their guards.
Women at that level, have maintained their traditional vocations and are now venturing into new territories. Some of these women are thriving in fields that are considered exclusive preserve of men –fields in the informal sector like the mechanics, bus conductors and taxi drivers among others.

A female Taxi Driver, Ronke Opemipo, who spoke to Punch newspaper in Lagos recently, underscored some of the challenges of her job. She said, “being a single mother, it is more difficult because I have to wake up very early each morning to prepare my daughter for school before setting out for the day’s business. It has not been easy but I am coping through the mercies of God.”

For the women who grace the screens of our televisions to provide entertainment, they have become idols and role models. They are accepted with nobody pointing reprimanding finger at them. However, those who grace the football pitch and the tracks of athletics have had to fight off stereotypes and biased perceptions. But it is heart-warming that some of these women have broken barriers and opened new vistas for themselves and their families.

It is on record that many women sports stars have escaped poverty and carried their families along using their talents. Just as they have also put Nigeria on the map. Chioma Ajunwa did it with her Olympic gold medal in Atlanta, USA, and Azizat Oshoala followed suit in 2015 when she conquered the world to become the BBC’s world footballer of the year.

Oshoala beat Spain’s Veronica Boquete, Germany’s Nadine Kessler, Scot Kim Little and Brazilian Marta, to clinch the highly prized award, voted for by football fans around the world.

All of these point to the fact that societies are opening up, waking up to the reality of the contemporary times to acknowledge the place of women in the front row.

All these have happened so fast and in a short period. Given how things have panned out in the last two decades, it is easy to see that even some of the aggressions that the female gender face today, especially as epitomised by the abductions of the Chibok and Dapchi school girls, are some of the last acts of aggression from an idea that has no place in the future that women are bound.

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