16082018 - Uproar as EFCC seeks minutes of Benue's security meetings

26 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2018
APC Free form: Not enough motivating factor, we
need elective positions —-APC women cry out
Continues from Page 25
APC, Lagos state, said, when it
comes to active politics in
Nigeria, you hardly see women
represented.
Meanwhile, the member
representing Epe constituency
1, Mr. Abiodun Tobun
explained that the party is
compassionately committed to
engaging women in politics.
According to him, “Power is
not serve ala carte but the
APC has tried to encourage
women to get free nomination
forms no matter the position
they are contesting for.
“We give the women free forms
and they are free to mobilize
themselves they are more than
men. The problem is that they
are not as courageous as men.
That is why we have decided
to give them forms free of
charge. Even in the National
Assembly, we give our women
enough opportunities. Also, in
the state cabinet, we give them
opportunities, but in an
•Jimoh Olumuyiwa
elective position they have to
contest,” he said.
He added that women are
encouraged to participate in
the forthcoming election and
that measures like free forms
are made available for them.
Another lawmaker, Mr.
Olumuyiwa Jimoh ,
representing Apapa
constituency 2, said, that
women are encouraged to
participate in the forthcoming
election and that measures
like free forms are made
available for them.
According to him, “women
have always been involved in
politics and I am not against
gender equality. According to
him, “women have always
been involved in politics and I
am not against gender
equality.
“APC as a party takes care of
women than men. Women only
pay for special interest form
which is N10,000 while men
pay fortune starting from
N500,000 above. Women are
encouraged to come on board
freely. “In the Lagos state
council, there are more women
in the state executive council
of the party”, he said.
Meanwhile, the Executive
chairman,
Mrs
Oluwafunmilayo Muhammed
of the Ajeromi Ifelodun noted
that Lagos state is the number
one state that encourages
women participation and the
women have what it takes to
compete with the men, giving
that a lot of opportunities and
provisions have been made
available.
“The last executive secretary
election that was held, out of
57 local governments,17
women emerged as winners
and now we have a lot of
women emerging as local
government chairman and I
know by God’s grace we will
have more. The work of a
woman is no longer limited to
just the kitchen. What a man
can do, a woman can do it
better, “ she said.
The face behind Technovation in Nigeria; in Africa
By Esther Onyegbula
Following the resounding
victory of five Nigeria School
Girls, who won the gold medal
at the 2018 World Technovation
Challenge in Silicon Valley in
San Francisco, US a few days
ago, the Nigerian nation has been
thrown into celebrations.
However, many people do not
know who pioneered the
Technovation Challenge in
Nigeria.
Mrs Martha Omoekpen
Alade, is not only the pioneer of
the Technovation program in
Nigeria but in Africa at large.
Martha, a computer science
lecturer at the Paul University
Awka, who also doubles as the
founder of Women in Technology
in Nigeria (WITIN), revealed this
to us during an interview in her
office, immediately after the
announcement of the winners of
the 2018 World Technovation
Challenge in the Silicon Valley,
in San Francisco, United States
of America
Since Martha established
Women in Technology in Nigeria
in May 2009 as a result of the
skills gap noticed in women
empowerment, to address
existing problems like limited
access of women to technology so
as to help them increase their
potentials and input towards
•Martha Alade
•Abiodun Tobun
national development and better
family sustenance. There is no
looking back in her quest to create
platform for the girl child to be
empowered technologically.
Apart from advocating
empowerment related policies at
the National level, she has
championed activities that include
organizing quiz competitions,
career fairs and enlightenment
campaigns for secondary schools.
With a passion to tackle the
gender imbalance in the fields of
science, technology, engineering
and mathematics in Africa
especially in Nigeria, Martha
Omoekpen Alade keeps creating
awareness to encourage young
girls to be technologically savvy
and provide training of young
women on entrepreneurship and
offer basic business skills training
for rural women and promotion
of their products online.
In 2015 Ihejiamaizu, an
International Exchange Alumni
and founder of iKapture
Networks, came first, winning
gold in the Technovation
Challenge world pitch that was
held at San Francisco, USA. The
winning team comprised of four
brilliant girls: Praise David-Oku,
Sonam Kumar, Nmesoma
Ogbonna, and Grace Akpoiroro.
They developed a mobile app
called, ‘Discardious’, to tackle
waste disposal challenge in
Nigeria.
Mrs Martha Alade confirmed
that Honorable Abike Dabiri-
Erewa, a former member of the
Nigeria Federal House of
Representatives, who is now the
Senior Special Assistant to the
President on Diaspora matters
supported the first Nigerian Team
to the US where they emerged top
10 globally.
The founder of Women in
Technology in Nigeria (WITIN),
Martha Alade has perfected
plans to honor the golden girls
with gift items on their return to
Nigeria.
Women Empowerment:
Buhari marginalising
50% of Nigerians — NIM
…Ogun State highlights women’s role
in sustaining Nigeria’s reforms
By Michael Eboh &
Gabriel Ewepu
ABUJA- THE Nigerian
Institute
of
Management, NIM, has
accused President
Muhammadu Buhari of
marginalizing about half of
Nigeria’s population over
his failure to appoint
significant number of women
into his cabinet.
Speaking at
the Annual
Women in
Management
and Leadership
Conference,
WIMLEAD
2018, in Abuja,
President and
Chairman of
Council of the
NIM, Professor
Olukunle
I y a n d a ,
lamented that
women are
consistently
u n d e r -
represented in
the top
management
and decisionm
a k i n g
positions in
both the private
and public
sectors of the
Nigerian
economy.
He said, “The story is
generally the same with
respect to appointive
leadership offices. Women
accounted for about 33 per
cent of President Jonathan’s
cabinet while the
corresponding figure in
President Buhari’s cabinet
has declined by almost 50
per cent to 19 per cent.
He noted that in the
private sector, women
accounted for an average of
only 22 per cent of Board
positions and 15 per cent of
executive positions in
companies listed on the
Nigerian Stock Exchange,
NSE.
According to Iyanda, the
percentage of women in
leadership positions in the
various industrial sectors is
similarly low, varying from
a high of 19.66 per cent in
the telecommunications
industry to a low of 12.2 per
cent in the energy sector.
“It is therefore, obvious
that the discrimination
against women and their
consequent underrepresentation
in leadership
positions negate the
development process. It is
thus in the interest of any
organization or country,
indeed of humanity to
ensure an equitable
representation of women in
their top decision-making
and management positions.”
Also speaking, Deputy
Governor of Ogun State, Mrs.
Yetunde Onanuga, declared
that the current reforms in
Nigeria’s socio-political arena
could only be sustained and
improved upon only if women
are given level playing ground
along with their male
counterparts, and if women
are also empowered to take
•Deputy Gov. Onanuga
their rightful position in the
scheme of things.
Onanuga, who is the
keynote speaker at the event,
further stated that at the
present stage of Nigeria’s
national development, the
country needed disciplined,
knowledgeable and highly
committed women who would
continue to positively influence
the socio-economic and
political fortunes of the
country.
She said, “We need not wait
endlessly for the full
implementation of the
National Gender Policy of
2006, which ceded 35 per cent
of political leadership
mandates to women. To
achieve greatness as a country,
we need a logical balance of
men and women in leadership
roles.
“There should be gender
diversity in the management
of our societies. And for
women to continue to play
positive roles in the country
they need continuous
exposure and training across
all professions and field of
knowledge.
“Therefore, it is only by this
that we can guarantee not only
our status as an important
stakeholder in the global
politics but also gain an edge,
more and above our male
counterparts, in this world of
opportunities.”