Izuchukwu Okosi
The theme for today’s International Women’s Day 2022 is ‘Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow’
Women are a big part of our lives. Not all women can claim to be excellent home builders and gold standards for decency but there are so many hardworking women that have positively impacted the world.
In Nigeria, we have been made proud by so many formidable women whose great exploits in different sectors would linger.
From World Trade Organisation’s Director General, Dr. Ngozi Okonji Iweala to former Finance minister Ms. Oby Ezekwesili to industrialist, Chief Folorunsho Alakija and movie actress, Genevieve Nnaji and so many others which we shall list on this piece, Nigerian women have bestrude the world with glowing accomplishments.
As the world marks the International Women’s Day on Tuesday, 8 March 2022, the call for gender equality and justice for crime against women cannot be overemphasised.
Surely men also pass through the sordid experiences that most women have had but the greater percentage of domestic violence in most families are suffered by women.
Women are barely allowed to contest in elective positions in the country and it is time the stereotypes and narratives change in the scheme of things.
Cultural norms must be fair to the women folk. The good thing about customs and culture is that they are subject to change. They are made for wo(man).
Punishments for crime against women like rape, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Corpse-bathing and such distasteful practises must be taken seriously as there are lip service paid to many of these ills.
Only recently 22-year-old Ayanwale Bamise was murdered in cold blood for suspected ritual purposes after she boarded a BRT bus in Lagos.
This writer understands the anguish the family has passed through having been a victim of the ‘One chance bus’ at the Ojota area of Lagos.
Thankfully, there was no death as the driver of the bus miraculously pleaded that the ring leader do not kill him after the expected extortion as well physical assualt.
If a man could suffer such treatment, how would a supposedly weaker gender cope unless by some divine intervention or physical empowerment.
Kidnappings, rape and other sundry crimes are on the rise and the Lagos State Government must ensure that the perpetrators of this latest ritual murder of the young Bamise do not go unpunished.
Women must also be supportive of their own and eschew petty bickering and attitudes that give them away as being desperate.
The following are some distinguished Nigerian women doing the nation proud in their different sectors with a post mortem honour for late NAFDAC boss Dr. Dora Akunyili.
There are so many others doing Nigeria proud within the country and in diaspora and could not be listed.
1. Chief Folorunsho Alakija
2. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
3. Hajia Bola Shagaya
4. Onyeka Onwenu
5. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
6.Tela Fela Durotoye
7. Olajumoke Adenowo
8. Uche Eze-Pedro
9. Dora Akunyili (late)
10. Chioma Ajunwa
11. Betty Irabor
12. Linda Ikeji
13. Bimbo Alase
14. Fifi Ejindu
15. Oby Ezekwesili
16. Genevieve Nnaji
Once again, happy International Women’s Day. Take a bow, ladies!
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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