Welcome! This is HNR. Mrs. MojisolaOluwa Alli-Macaulay
THE CONVERSATION – CREATING MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS IN LAGOS AND BEYOND
Being A Point of Discourse By Hon Mojisolaoluwa Alli-Macaulay, Chairman House Committee on Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Lagos State House of Assembly As Guest of Honour / Panelist At Women Made in Lagos Conference, At Teslim Balogun Stadium on 3rd June, 2021
Protocols!
Permit me to re-coin the ever green words of Frantz Fanon which say: “each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.” As for me, I will like to put it this way - “each gender must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.” The women folks are finding their voices from age long years of repression and regimentation to the back sits, but is it loud enough? More than ever before, more women are gaining entrance into the leadership positions? Have we occupied enough of such leadership positions? From Lagos to Nigeria, Nigeria to Africa, Africa to the world, what is the proportions of women in leadership positions in relations to men?
Your guesses and answers are as good as mine. We have made some successes but have we accomplished all we could? We’ve made some inroads but how far have we gone? We’ve conquered some territories, how fast are they? We’ve won some battles but have we won the war? Are women and girls better off than they were hundred years ago? Are women and girls better off than they were fifty years ago? Are women and girls better off than they were twenty, and ten years ago? Are they?
Yes, in some regards, they are. Can we pat ourselves at the back for job well done, maybe! Can we hang the booths, I doubt? Are we sure the interests of the girl child in Lagos are well protected? Are the destinies of women in Lagos now in their hands and not in their stars? Those of us in leadership positions, are we setting the space enough for that little girl in Maroko, Ajegunle, Amuwo Odofin, and in Ikorodu? What hope lies for that woman that hawks pure water on the streets of Lagos to eke out a living for herself and for her three little children, all because she lacks capital to rent a shop and begins a petty business?
My questions are getting too much I know, but so are the challenges that bedeviled the girl children and women are getting bigger and bigger. As we celebrate our wins, we must remember it is not yet an Eldorado. The journey is still far. The race is still on. The ground to cover is still much. The business of savaging the women from being back benchers is real and we must do all we can to push back the barriers by being shinning lights wherever we found ourselves. We have to work hard more and give more in service to humanity to change the perspective and truly proof that what a man can do, a woman do far better. We must push ourselves forward more beyond the barricades of competitors to the sidewalk of partners – partners in progress to the men folks and not usurpers of their traditional given opportunities. We are not hijackers of opportunities; we are harmonizers of our collective strengths for the greater good of Lagos and humanity as a whole.
We are made in Lagos for the progress and prosperity of Lagos. We must prove to ourselves and to all that our interest is not selfish, feministic or a sheer bias for the wellbeing of the girls or the women alone but for all and sundry. Lagos is a land of opportunities, and we want the opportunities to be felt by all. It is a land of greatness; we want the greatness to be attainable by Tinuke that lives in Lagos Island and by Bernard of Festac Town. This is our goal. This is our call. This is our duty. We must have it as a dream and as duty-bound to ensure that the daughter and son of nobody can become somebody in our lifetime and within our clime.
To this extent, I want to sincerely applaud the brains behind this event, the members and executives of Women Made in Lagos for lifting the bars on women and for championing the course of women and girl children for humanity through various courses such ‘Women more…Women more’, ‘Love Me Right’, and ‘Value Adding Team’, among others for the progress of women and prosperity of all knowing fully well that every woman is a nurturer of life, be it male or female.
The Value Adding Team for instance is one of the best gifts we can give humanity. It is one way to build an egalitarian society for boys and girls, men and women. We must tutor this team to be good ambassadors of our values and promoters of our goal for a just and equitable society for all, irrespective of creed, gender and colour. We must also take this message to our homes, streets, offices, religious settings and social groups, because the more the merrier says the Englishman.
It is a pleasure being, and I sincerely appreciate the opportunity given to me. Thank you all!
Challenges Facing Women
Panaceas to Women challenges
Useful Statistics
Economic Opportunities
Gender based Violence
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