Okere Augustine Makes Case For Women, Warns Against Discrimination
Nigeria’s revered Engineers, Okere Augustine, has called on governments of Nigeria and politicians not to relegate and discriminate against women, warning of the dire consequences it might bring upon the country.
Okere made the statement in Owerri while reacting to the initial refusal of the National Assembly to legislate on the bills before it to promote more opportunities for women in political parties, governance, and other inputs that may be beneficial to the government at large.
He described women as the salt of society, saying if they are unduly relegated, the country will lose intoto.
Reacting to the general participation of women in the polity, he insists it is about time such barriers were held women down are broken.
Acknowledging the inhibitions of religion, culture, and traditions, he proposed a review of some of those inhibitions since culture is dynamic in so far as they do not affect the core of the value system.
narrating Nigeria’s experience and denials, he said:
“I have come to terms with the fact that women remain very critical stakeholders to national development.
“You can’t take it away from them that when they move, you cannot stop them. In every electoral process women are interested in, watch out for the outcome. They are very influential on their children, husbands, and their friends.
“The same they have contributed immensely to every facet of the economy – In the academia, they hold their own; in the Corporate world, they keep bringing radical but solutions to the challenges in every facet of human endearvour. We are aware that women have effectively managed our economy at one point or another. We have them proffer solutions issue yet we don’t want them to have political power.
“I urge our men to loosen up a bit. The trend is killing the best of our women.
“I suffered before the just concluded Imo State bye-election in search of a lady to participate for the election, we could not see any.
“I promise to continue to carry women along in my political voyage and will always speak out whenever the opportunity presents itself”.
