PRESS STATEMENT FOR IWD2022

PRESS STATEMENT

This 8th day of March 2022

International Women’s Day.

AWEP Nigeria Chapter

African Women's Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) Nigeria Chapter first of all celebrates all women on this International Women’s Day and secondly identify with women at this time when we stand for gender equality and increased participation in our Nation's Affairs.

Nigeria in 2022 statististically reflects the value of women in public and private sectors as more of us lead major institutions and organisations, not because we are women but because we are competent, and it did not happen overnight. Each and every woman at the top may have her own story but she has remained resilient till she got there. There are many more women worthy to be celebrated who may not be visible, but who are instrumental to the development of the places in which they function. They run homes well, they run banks and establishments well and they run International bodies well.

It is a no-brainer that women should have more active and visible participation in running the country's affairs for their demonstrated sheer expertise, resilience, competence and outlook. We always bring something different to the table and therefore it is a major disappointment that women were denied being given a chance to prove their mettle by the recent decisions of the National Assembly, where the woman's perspective is most urgently needed for better balance.

Women would not stay in the shadows any more, they shouldn't, in fact, they can't, and so it is time to embrace women’s relevance in governance and allow for our more active participation in determining and deciding on matters that concern us all.

We won't back down or relent in our agitations and that does not mean making statements at rallies only, but we would continue to excel in our spaces and spheres of influence, we will continue to make impacts that cannot be ignored on the society, at work and at home and in the lives of everyone, and most importantly to impact positively on the next generation.

This is no battle that can be lost because all women have come together to stand and make admirable and even enviable well acknowledged positive impacts towards the economic development of Nigeria.

The National Assembly will necessarily soon call on women and we will respond to the call and perform. This is inevitable and imminent, so why delay? Do the right thing now!

Gender equality does not imply nor strive for superiority of one over the other but that the sexes are at par with one another. The world needs balance; our nation and communities need balance right now and this is one way to achieve it, so why fight it?

A sustainable progressive nation is what we strive for, which is why we ratify specific conventions such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), so let's walk the talk.

Women's demand for 35% Representation at the National Assembly amongst other quests are not far-fetched but to be expected, neither are the other demands being made by women.

Nigeria needs a new narrative and that must include the voices of women so we must break the bias of any sort of gender inequality, also one of the SDG's.

I, with the members of AWEP and the larger body Association of Nigerian Women's Business Network (ANWBN) stand for progressive women in unity!

#Breakthebias

#breakthepoliticalbias

#breaktheconstitutionbias

#IWD2022

#awepwomen

#awepnigeria

Oluyemisi Ogundipe

President AWEP Nigeria