We Are The Ones To Saves Ourselves,
flict, and the use of culture, religion and tradition to render women voiceless. Crimes against women and children are on the rise. Gender- based violence, trafficking, displacement, kidnappings and so on make private and public spaces in our country very unsafe for women and girls. Nigeria also continues to record unacceptably high levels of maternal and infant mortality rates, one of the highest in the world,” she said.
Fayemi stated that Nigeria needed to do more now, noting that, “there was need for laws and policies to guarantee the empowerment of women and where we have them, they need to be implemented with serious political will.”
She added: “There has to be equal access to education, training, capital, technology and other resources, and women should be able to participate fully and equally in decisionmaking processes. There should be zero tolerance for violence against women, discriminatory practices and negative gender stereotypes.
“An uneducated girl stands no chance of becoming the next Director- General of the World Trade Organisation ( WTO). A disempowered and abused woman will have all her dreams taken away from her. An empowered woman means that families, communities and nations will thrive and prosper. If we want to see women in leadership, we should be prepared to make the necessary investments in raising the status of women in all spheres of life.”
To a professor of Gender and Development Studies, Funmi Para- Mallam, it was clear that the COVID- 19 pandemic put the realities of gender- based violence encountered by Nigerians from all walks of life on the spotlight. According to her, the COVID- 19 pandemic accentuated the fact that Nigeria has, for a long time, been in the throes of a shadow pandemic.
Her words: “Women and girls of all ages and socio- economic backgrounds have been victims and survivors of diverse forms of gender based violence, including sexual, domestic, psychological, physical and intimate partner violence. Also, violence occurs from traditional practices that are pervasive; and they cut across all geo- political zones and cultural and religious expressions.
“The Nigerian woman has had to carry these mountains of discrimination, violence, marginalisation and the trivialisation of issues on her back. With the COVID- 19 pandemic, there is an opportunity. Every danger presents an opportunity. And the opportunity is for Nigeria to give teeth to the national gender policy.
“Over the years, since its inception, the gender policy has enjoyed only lip service from various governments. Lip service in the sense that the policy articulates a moral obligation on the part of the government to ensure that there is no less than 35 per cent of female representation in all elective and appointed posts. We are still a far cry from that. In fact, Nigeria lags behind most other African countries in terms of female gender representation.”
Leadership development strategist and Chief Executive Officer ( CEO) of Rellies Works, Kemi Ogunkoya, stated that the world has been badly hit since the advent of the COVID- 19 pandemic, adding that just as women were not excluded from its effects so would they be required to adapt to the demands of the moment.
She noted that the demand on the working woman was on the rise, especially in her bid to juggle increasing family responsibilities with her career in a pandemic.
Ogunkoya said: “These additional strains present an even wider lacuna for women in leadership. Therefore, organisations cannot afford to turn a blind eye to these realities anymore. Women are struggling to cope and find that balance and this will affect their health and wellness, which will go on to invariably affect productivity. When women are not supported, the workplace suffers. Therefore, organisations need to become more aware of the cycle of determined and undetermined losses and understand how they are also impacted by inequalities in the workplace.
“While I strongly believe that COVID- 19 has presented threats, the pandemic has also ushered new approaches to thinking, work and leadership. Flexi- working, working from home and other adaptive procedures should be embraced in organisations. Result- based appraisals against time- bound working gauges should also be encouraged.
“However, beyond the stated interventions, organisations need to become more intentional about reviewing systems and policies that sublimely affect equality and ensure a supportive, empathetic culture that is inclusive and provides great levels of flexibility for women.”
She noted that organisations also needed to become more intentional about empowering women and ensuring that there was a system of growth through mentorship and coaching.
Over the years, since its inception, the gender policy has enjoyed only lip service from various governments. Lip service in the sense that the policy articulates a moral obligation on the part of the government to ensure that there is no less than 35 per cent of female representation in all elective and appointed posts. We are still a far cry from that. In fact, Nigeria lags behind most other African countries in terms of female gender representation.
“The recent appointment of the WTO DG, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, is a testament to just how capable women are. It is important to note that leadership in itself is a shapeless phenomenon, and it will take the shape of whatever container you put it in – male, female, black, white, young, old and other variables of diversity. Therefore, if a woman is the person for the job, let’s put systems in place to ensure her success. Let’s focus on skills and value, not gender, because truly an equal future is possible in a COVID- 19 world, and we can make it happen,” she added.
On his part, Executive Director, Gender and Development Action ( GADA), Ada Agina- Ude, gave kudos to women who have been leading the fight against COVID- 19 pandemic.
“We are touched by the bravery and sacrifice of front line workers, who are mostly women, as women dominate the health sector as nurses and cleaners. We owe a lot to them and we are grateful. It is important that the government and women groups across the globe continually find more innovative ways to carry out advocacy for the eradication of violence in the society. It is by so doing that we can find ourselves in much better situation,” she said.
Development Consultant and Executive Director, Centre for Non- violence and Gender Advocacy in Nigeria, Asmau Benzies Leo, said this year’s celebration was special as the world was recovering from the devastating effect of the COVID- 19 pandemic.
“There is no better time than now to work and put an end to the exclusion and marginalisation of women and girls in all spheres of our national life; economically, socially, politically and culturally. But for us to do that, we will need collective action.
“Women must be carried along and be given the opportunity to play vital roles in decision making that affects their lives directly and those that have to do with leadership and governance. Women can contribute to decisions that will shape the destinies of their nation through committing to the response to and recovery from the COVID- 19 pandemic and the choices that will affect the wellbeing of people and the planet for generations to come,” she said.
Leo added that the COVID- 19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of women’s leadership in promoting and ensuring that the perspectives of women and girls are reflected in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes in all spheres and at all stages.
“There is need to re- emphasise the importance of advancing women’s leadership and participation in decision- making, as a key component of all efforts to advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGS), especially in addressing the potential long- term effects of COVID- 19. “The commemoration should focus on highlighting the ways in which women and women leaders were able to bring to bear their different experiences, perspectives and skills to the table, and make irreplaceable contributions to decisions, policies and laws. This is to provide a platform for women leaders from government, civil society organisations and all stakeholders to lend their voices,” Leo added. Human rights lawyer and founder of Women’s Advocate Research and Documentation Centre ( WARDC), Dr. Abiola Akiyode- Afolabi, said women were powerful agents of change, adding that the far- reaching benefits of diversity and gender parity in leadership and decision- making were increasingly being recognised in all spheres of society.
“Still, women continue to be vastly underrepresented in decision- making in politics, businesses and communities. Women as leaders and decision- makers at all levels are critical to advancing gender justice and gender equality and to furthering economic, social and political progress for all, particularly in the COVID- 19 era. Since the start of the COVID19 pandemic, many have suggested that countries led by women have fared better than those led by men. New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern’s success in ‘ flattening the curve’ attracted initial attention and speculation about the role of leader gender in mitigating the deleterious effects of the pandemic. Iceland has garnered similar praise. Recent research also suggests that countries led by women have six times fewer deaths than those led by men,” she said. Akiyode- Afolabi noted that in Nigeria, women’s rights organisations such as WARDC and Feminist Womanifesto were leading the advocacy for the inclusion of women in COVID- 19 responses and supporting women affected by physical and sexual violence.
“The impacts of crises are never gender- neutral, and so was the COVID- 19. While everyone faced the unprecedented challenges, women bore the brunt of the economic and social fallout of COVID- 19. Women who largely depend on informal economic sector for survival were severely affected. In Nigeria, domestic violence cases rose by 297 per cent in states that were under lockdown.
“The recently released report shows that the pandemic will push 96 million people into extreme poverty by 2021, 47 million of whom are women and girls. This will bring the total number of women and girls living on USD 1.90 or less to 435 million. ( World Bank: 2020).
“Following the 2019 elections, women make up 7.3 per cent of the Nigerian Senate and 3.1 per cent of the House of Representatives. No state governors are women. The statistics imply that the marginal representation of women in leadership robs Nigeria of balanced perspectives and ideas in handling emergencies such as the COVID- 19 pandemic. “Nigerian women have occupied strategic positions global