By Denrele Animasaun

‘I am an example of what is possible when girls from the very beginning of their lives are loved and nurtured by people around them. I was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life who taught me about quiet strength and dignity.’- Michelle Obama

Today is international women’s day and this year’s theme is: Make it happen. International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. Today, thousands of events will mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. Today is a day dedicated to the achievements and concerns of women around the world. So what does this mean to Nigerian women?   Has enough been done to improve the lives of Nigerian women, would the marking of the day, shine a torch on the lives of Nigerian women in general.

International women’s day should at least, serve as a reminder of how far the Nigerian society has come to elevating the lives and standards of living for women. Yes, there are notable Nigerian women but, not enough to say that all that has been done has been done. Nigeria has got to do better after all, women make up half of the population and they at least deserve to  be given a chance to improve their lives and not be prevented because of their gender.

Truth be told, women’s lives in Nigeria have not fared better in recent years. It is far worse. And contrary to what some people may say that Nigerian women are better off. No. This  is not the case for the ordinary Nigerian woman: she is bearing a heavy load : more likely to die in child birth, most likely to be assaulted physically or sexually abused, abducted, killed, have no recourse to land, more likely to be taxed more, less likely to own property and more likely to be living in poverty and unlikely to be educated and likely to have children at a young age.

The sad fact is, in the Nigerian society, it places less value on females and the males are highly prized by the family. So right from the word go, the female child is at a disadvantage. The arrival of the birth of a baby boy is always that of jubilation and in contrast, the arrival of a baby girl is often with muted commiserations from friends and  family.

If the truth be told the mother is often made to feel a failure if she does not provide the family a male and a heir. So in order for our society to progress, we need to value all children and do whatever we can to help them achieve their goals in life.

Women need chances to get into employment or training and education.   We need to change our attitude towards women and help empower them. With better start in life, good education, better employment rights, improved health care, better standards of living for working mothers and widows, I do believe that we can begin to see a difference in our society and the lives of women in Nigeria. For those who say it  can’t be done, Osun State is already employing more women and this approach is recommended to make the change we need to see in Nigeria.

For instance, the World Bank stated,if young Nigerian women had the same employment rates as young Nigerian men, they would add 13.9 billion Naira in annual GDP. We need to encourage our young women to live up to their full potential.

It is important to develop education, training and employment possibilities for young girls and women. The more educated the women, the less likely are they to marry young or give birth young or drop out of school. Having a good education gives the opportunity to improve their lives and that of their families.   It is important for Nigerian government to invest and promote education. It is staggering that Nigeria has 10.5 million children out of-school, the largest in the world, and one of the highest girls drop out numbers. The government should invest in free education and improve public health, provide affordable family planning facilities and ensure good quality maternal care free at point of delivery.  There should be leadership training and more women promoted in politics.

More women should be in the government and so they can represent the needs of women more clearly and reduce discrimination.     Nigerian civil society organisations should lead  and promote gender training and orientation for political parties. Civil society organisations should help communities to hold politicians to account and make women’s votes count.   A national campaign should be mounted to tackle gender violence and raise awareness of its detrimental impact on society. The campaign should focus initially on educational institutions, civil society and the media. Greater legal protection should be provided for victims’ of gender violence. Government should do more to reduce trafficking of girls around Nigeria and abroad.   It is about time women raised their voices and demanded changes. They say power is  not given,  so about time  the  women take it.

My good friend, Ronke Ali Udofia is up for election as CANUK Chair

Vote for Ronke – “My vision is to promote excellence through improved Engagement, Enabling Initiatives and the increased Empowerment of all Nigerian in the UK-Ronke.

An accomplished civil servant leading programmes resulting in an enhanced UK justice delivery, she is a wife, a mother with experience in collaborative working and achieving excellent results with a wide range of stakeholders. A multiple award winner, with over 30 years of selfless dedication and contribution to the unpaid voluntary sector in Nigeria and UK, Ronke Udofia, known for being fair, frank and fearless; sits on the board of numerous strategic organisations and community groups.  They include secondary school associations, Akwa Ibom State cultural associations. Education and mentoring programmes, women and youth leadership initiatives, celebration of Nigeria at 50 in the UK, Nigerian Olympic Committee UK, Initiatives on Gang Crime, Domestic Violence and Modern day slavery in the UK”

She is a tireless campaigner for good causes and championed excellence of Nigerians in UK through the Nigerian Centenary Awards UK 2014 Project and continues to work tirelessly as a delegate representative of CANUK. Ronke would be honoured to serve as CANUK Chair promising to provide a selfless, focused leadership, uplifting & promoting all Nigerians in UK.