N’ Assembly, Olu of Warri Drum Support For Women Inclusion In Governance

The 10th National Assembly has vowed not to reject women’s rights and inclusion bills that were not passed during the 9th Assembly.

As a result, the lawmaker stated its commitment to advancing the cause of women’s rights and empowerment, as well as ensuring their representation in legislative proceedings.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, revealed these in an interview with media on Monday night in Abuja, at the 40th anniversary of NEWS Engineering Limited and the launch of the NEWS 40/40 Leadership Development Fellowship.

Traditional rulers such as the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III; a former Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Enyinnaya Abaribe; and Executive Director of Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Ifeoluwa Oyedele, among others, attended the event.

Lady Josephine Nwaeze, the current Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of News Engineering, was honoured by Kalu for her extraordinary capacity to successfully oversee the company after suffering the devastating loss of her husband in a plane tragedy in 2006.

He underlined the need for Nigeria to recognise and appreciate women’s power.

Kalu went on to say, “She (Nwaeze) believed in capacity building and she built herself to be where she is now, where what has been lacking in Nigeria is the sustenance of business establishments through a succession plan.”Most firms fail because their succession plans are inadequate. When they are thorough, the people they hand over cannot take the dream and make it a reality. But she has been able to interpret her husband’s vision and turn it into a mission, and as a result, a large number of missionaries have joined her, demonstrating the power of a woman. They double anything they tackle with determination.

“The president, vice president, and chief of staff are all products of the legislature, as is the secretary to the federal government.” So, they understand the function that legislative intervention plays in this type of intervention that is required, and what it is. Those women should be put in their proper position.”Because the President gave it to his wife, she became a senator. So, when we provide it to her, she may say accent to this law, and what the bill has endured in the past will not be repeated because the presidency believes in women.

” “I am confident that when we present the Constitutional Amendment Bill to Mr. President, which will promote gender equality, gender fairness, and gender inclusivity, he will not object. So, keep hope alive because we are coming with a rejuvenated hope agenda that will revive women’s hope and bring them into the fold.”

He said, “We sincerely hope that all would be inspired by our experience through these years as you will find stories of perseverance, dedication, and the pursuit of excellence against all odds.”As we commemorate this momentous milestone in our company’s history, we also look forward to the future, a future that promises greater accomplishments and long-term success.

“On this journey, we will use technology to its full potential to seize opportunities and explore innovations.” Our dedication to excellence will drive us to create and implement the most relevant structures and architectural frameworks to ensure the long-term viability of our heritage.”

The Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, who praised Nwaeze for carrying on her husband’s heritage, emphasized the importance of women being given crucial positions in government to accelerate Nigeria’s economic progress.

He believes that the role of women in nation-building cannot be overstated.

The monarch said, “I am sure there were many temptations to look at and wonder how he (her husband) could have done so much because I am sure those were very large shoes to fill. Sometimes, we freeze looking at big shoes to fill and while we might want to honour and respect the shoes before us, we must not fall into the temptation of stepping into those shoes. This is because the same God who created who left those shoes behind gave us our unique shoe size.

“Deputy speaker, you spoke how a lady has made such impacts but this shouldn’t surprise anyone because whatever it is that you give to a woman, they will nurture it, incubate it and they will produce a full manifestation of that seed that is given to them. The seed that he left with her, she has been able to incubate, nurture it and produce a standing, functional and thriving organisation better than what her husband left for her.”

The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, represented by the Director of Service Coordination, FCT Administrator, Jummai Amodu, also corroborated the need for greater female representation in political and social spheres.

She said, “We need more women in the National Assembly. In the next election cycle, please. Because we can have Rwanda doing the twinning system, we are the giant of Africa, so Nigeria should lead going forward.

“We also still have appointive positions, we need women to be part of them so that our numbers can go up because when you’re discussing issues that concern us, we will not contribute. We need our numbers to be more so that we can contribute our quota because anything you give a woman, she multiplies it and makes it better than what you gave to her.

“I am honoured to stand before you to celebrate News Engineering Limited for reaching a milestone of its 40th anniversary. This momentous occasion not only marked four decades of dedication and hard work but also highlighted the incredible journey that has played a pivotal role in shaping both the media landscape of our nation.