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CIVIL SOCIETY WATCH
With Jim Pressman
Newsdiaryonline Sat Aug 13,2011
Nigerian Women Have Come Of Age, Set To Hit The Roof! -
Dr. Ejike Oji
Ipas Nigeria Country Director, Dr. Ejike Oji nicknamed ‘Sister’
by the members of the National Council of Women Societies
(NCWS-Nigeria, umbrella association for all women’s groups in
the country and affiliate of the International Women’s
Societies, IWC) for his passion for Women’s Rights, has said
that he is “proud of Nigerian women today” and that they have
indeed come of age, all set to re-take their rightful place in
national life.
Oji was delivering a goodwill message on behalf of his
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Ipas, known for its work in
the areas of Women’s Health and Advancement of Women’s
Reproductive Rights in Nigeria since 2004, at the recently
concluded 2011 biennial NCWS-Nigeria Convention and elections
which saw former National President Hajiya Ramatu H.B. Usman
replaced by her
erstwhile Personal, Assistant, Mrs. Nkechi Okemin Mba,
Ada Imerienwe I of
Imerienwe.
Said Oji, “Distinguished
women of Nigeria, I feel so proud to be here with you in this
hall today, for two reasons. First is that when Affirmative
Action was first talked about, it seemed like a pipe dream. But
I think we should applaud our President and his wife, for the
wonderful thing he is already doing for Nigerian women.
[Applause!] If I should retire from women’s rights activism
today, I think I’d have retired a very happy man, having started
creating spaces for the Nigerian woman.
“I would also like to say that Ipas, for the past six years, I
got into this room now and started looking out for Dr. Mrs.
Bolere Ketebu and cannot now see her in this room. The journey
actually started with her when we went to see her and said we
want to partner with NCWS-Nigeria to see how we can
collectively, emancipate the women of Nigeria. She did so well
that she produced another great lady, Hajiya Ramatu Bala Usman…
[Applause!]
“We look and ask: What is it that the Nigerian woman needs? Do
we need to tell her what to do? Or do we need to hire them as a
set of people to come and chant Yee! Yee! Yee! And we claim the
women have been involved? We at Ipas thought otherwise, because
we believe that if you give women information, knowledge, skills
and ability, women in Nigeria are so smart, they will act for
themselves. [Wild applause!]This was what made us to decide that
the best thing to do with NCWS-Nigeria and other Civil Women
Groups in Nigeria, is to build their capacity in Programme
Management, Leadership, Legislative Processes and I think you
will agree with me now that we already have very wonderful
output indicators to show that the women of Nigeria, if
given a space can prove their worth…
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