A World Without Women, Men Must...

April 20, 2005 - (This Day - Lagos) It is to imagine a world without women. But the continuous denial of women's basic rights and other various forms of abuse on women tend towards such an undeclared world without women. To reduce if not totally eradicate these imbalances, the United Nations (UN) set aside March 8 to mark the International Women's Day.

For Federacion International de Abrogadas (FIDA) otherwise called International Federation of Women Lawyers, it is a day premised on the advocate of women and gender-responsible change, carrying the collective concerns and hopes of women, defining and incorporating women's perspective on development. The ultimate aim of the day to FIDA members in Nigeria is to ensure a modified society that will bring peace, harmony and enhance well being for all and sundry. As a matter of fact, they dreamt of a firmament where women are full participants and beneficiaries of development. Therefore, FIDA members strongly felt that the annual International Women's Day is not a mere jamboree or usual talkshow with no substance.

On March 10, at the Congress Hall of NICON Hilton Hotel in Abuja, Federacion International de Abrogadas (FIDA), otherwise called International Federation of Women Lawyers organised FIDA Africa Regional Women's Forum, bringing together the creme de la creme of the Nigerian society, members of the international community and institutions as well as delegates across the continents under one roof to take a stock on what women have been able to achieve so far and reposition themselves for the future challenges. Even after the forum, FIDA delegates put a mechanism in place to measure the progress resulting from the programme.

This is in line with their belief that no stone should be left unturned to empower women in Nigeria.

As a special guest of honour, President Olusegun Obasanjo, in his address fired the first salvo, saying "this year, the International Women's Day is symbolic as it marks ten years of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and the platform for action which reaffirm that women issues are global and universal and call for the empowerment of women and the integration of gender perspectives in all policies and programmes at all levels of government throughout the world."

The President, who was ably represented by the Minister of Women Affairs, Obong Rita Akpan, told the august gathering that different world conferences on women's empowerment have moved beyond mere recognition of human rights of women to action oriented measures and programmes with far reaching implications for women's rights.

President Obasanjo challenged the women to reflect on the journey so far by asking themselves how much they have gained and how much is required from them to achieve.

"The challenges are immense but are not insurmountable. It requires our individual, group and collective efforts to renew our vision and redouble our commitment to ensuring the achievement of gender equality, empowerment of women in order to enhance their contributions and participation in nation building process," he added, noting that women cannot afford to rest on their oars as many more challenges lie ahead.

The president tasked women professional organisations like FIDA "to find new and creative ways to change entrenched attitudes, to ensure gender equality in work places, to combat the evil of human trafficking the plight of women in conflict situation and to produce better healthcare for women. Central to this task is creating opportunity, access and empowerment of women and their participation in decision-making process."

He, however, assured women that his vision is to further increase both the quantitative and qualitative notes of women in the nation building process, including the public institutions of governance, saying "history will continue to vindicate the crucial positions of women as inevitable partners and collaborators in the globalising world of interdependence and it is only appropriate to recognise and appreciate this reality."

Earlier, FIDA Regional Vice President (Africa), Mrs. Ngozika Uwa Okaisabor, said the forum was an interactive session where everybody was expected to discuss, exchange ideas and proffer solutions, explaining that FIDA and other professional women have reasons to talk about Nigeria in very positive terms because of the past events. "This has successfully showcased the Nigerian women as women who are upstanding, fearless, advocates of progress, women of integrity, mothers, wives, sisters and above all nation builders," she noted.

She added that women have come a long way all over the world and that the forum was one major way to X-ray the progress of women in politics, oil and gas industry, judiciary and other areas of human endeavours. "It is quite remarkable that we have come a long way in the last few years. There has been dramatic improvement in the status of women in Nigeria. Women have proved themselves in many areas of their appointments," she said.

Noting that some FIDA members and other women appointed by the Obasanjo administration have distinguished themselves in various fields of responsibility, Mrs. Okaisabor urged "Mr. President not to relent in his policy of utilising talents of women and encouraging them to develop their natural potentials for the development of the country, having regard to their enormous population."

Chaired by former Minister of State for Science and Technology, Chief (Mrs.) Pauline Tallen, the needed firebrand to really mark the day came to the fore with the paper presented by the Special Adviser to the President on the National Assembly Matters, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa.

In her inspirational paper titled: "Women Participation in Politics," Senator Ita-Giwa challenged women not to adopt "sit-back" mentality and the "wait-and-have-it-balance-fixed-for-us" syndrome, saying "the whole concept of equality and parity of the sexes on the basis of paving way for the weaker sex or some sort of lowering of the obstacle for the handicapped sex, does not sound to me to be consistent with the proverbial argument that we are indeed born equal and that in fact whether we are males or females we possess equal potentials, radiate the same levels of energy and exact equal and proportional impact on our immediate environment."

She told the women to individually and collectively make the gender war be consistent with nature and be "ready to mount chivalry charges against the adversary more by breaking the jinx through 'daring participation' than by sitting back languidly appealing to the conscience of insatiable man himself."

Citing appropriate hindsight of women who have had to contend with even much more hostile environment including her personal experiences in Nigerian polity, Senator Ita-Giwa noted that she dared her male counterparts but added that the lesson is categorical and imperative - "the gender war cannot and will not be won on the basis of a mutual armistice at which proud and overbearing man self-consciously concedes ground to us. In fact the Indira Ghandis, the Margaret Thatchers, the Corazon Aquinos, the Benazir Buthos and the Bandaranaikes of this world were not products of any conscious affirmative actions in their various countries.

"These women had to rise above the male tendencies of their clime and had to distinguish themselves to secure the respect of their proud and unyielding men. They fought obstacles and they chipped away at barriers, they did not quiver or submit to the intimidation of male gender omnipresence in the murky waters of their political environment. Their goal was to climb to the peak of the political ladder and without turning back, without hesitation, they marched on to the top, because 'their truth was: marching on.'"

She urged women to use their numerical and demographic strength in the society to subdue their male counterparts. "What are we saying here? Am I advocating civil disobedience in the context of our today's situation? No. On the other hand, am I advocating defiance to artificial barriers erected by men? Yes! In fact what I have been trying to say all this while is that notwithstanding any laws, notwithstanding any proclamation made by man, we will achieve more by daring and to challenge our male counterparts on every political, economic or social platform either as individuals or as groups, than we will if we wait to be pitied and to draw strictly from the benevolence of a remorseful man."

In his contribution, NLC president Comrade Adams Oshiomhole congratulated FIDA and Nigerian women for such a historic day, saying the male-dominated world would not change by mere lamentation. "We should fight the injustices. The Nigerian women are still marginalised. How can we have a cabinet of 50 ministers and allotted only 4 to the women," he said to the thunderous applause from the audience.

He added that those who elected people into various posts today are women in majority, noting that to now give women such a "token" means an act of marginalisation. He said the greater challenge before women was to dismantle the nation's political barbwires, which have made women's participation in politics highly difficult.

"Men need to purge themselves of superiority complex. The idea of holding meetings at midnight is a deliberate way of excluding women from politics. Can the male politicians not do a daytime political business? Comrade Oshiomhole asked. He charged women to aggressively pursue the affirmative actions.

He canvassed "a zoning formular between men and women, a rotational presidency between men and women. The Federal Character should include gender character. Men are doing what they are doing because they are greedy." He tasked FIDA to work together with other women bodies by redefining Nigeria and incorporating women in the nation's Supreme Court, asking whether men in the Supreme Court are superior to the women.

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/200504210392.html