Dr Nosa I. Aladeselu is the Founding President, African
Women Empowerment Guild (AWEG), The Chair of Edo State Agency for
Community Social Development Project ( World Bank Supported), and the
Deputy National President of Christian Women Fellowship International(
CWFI).
She didn’t only enumerate the significance of women empowerment in any society or country but also structures she has put in place through the efforts of the groups she is representing in the country. Excerpts:
It’s discovered that when you empower women, you are definitely building a nation, how real is this statement?
Investing in women development is globally acknowledged as one in the right direction, without which any attempt at nation building would flounder and run counter productive. A woman is the life wire of her family. She is the first nurse, the first teacher, the living food mall, the eye through which a baby sees the world on arrival, through whose hands and tender touch he/she feels the love of God!! She is one person aptly described as multi-potential multi-talented and multi-tasking.
She is the pivot on which the family revolves. The best any nation or government can do to improve health and social well being of the smallest unit in the society – the family, is to empower women and fulfill the axiom that when you educate a woman, you train a nation.
Tell us various ways women can be empowered at home and in the society?
We empower women when we increase their access to basic education, basic health care, loans and micro finance to assist them in their little businesses. When we give them voice in decisions that affect them, when we involve them in development activities in the community, when we allow them in the community. We empower women when we give them sense of self worth, treat them as equal humans as men, not as property that can be inherited, disposed off at will, not as a slave.
What is your organisation doing to ensure that women are fairly empowered and given their rightful position both in Edo and in Nigeria as a whole?
My organization, African Women Empowerment Guild, has done a lot to empower women locally and nationally. AWEG raised ten literacy centres in Edo State where women were in a majority. Some graduates of our literacy centres went ahead to do primary 6 examinations to obtain First School leaving Certificates with which they entered Junior Secondary schools. With pride we celebrate those who went ahead to do degree programme in universities from the background of empowered illiterates. This year’s International Women Day Celebration is devoted to a collection of women achievers of such calibre.
AWEG has been assisted with funds by develop-ment agencies like UNODC and UNICRI to give young women some training and start up capital to do businesses. Over 70 women in Edo state had so far benefited from micro finance and vocational skills development and income generation.
AWEG has mobilized women to increase their tempo in political participation since 1998. With assistance from the British Council, United States Information Service, DFID, UNIFEM, UNDP, AWEG has trained women leaders, female politicians, career women to understand the gender issues that have held back from making even with their male counterparts in all spheres of life. Over 2000 women had so far benefited from seminars, workshops and commu-nity sensitizations.
Why do we not have enough women in place of leadership today in Nigeria?
The processes that currently produce leaders in Nigeria is male dominated. There has been no female President, Vice President nor Governor in Nigeria. The mindset of voters and party leaders has not favoured women, thus the nomination, election and appointment of party members into leadership and govern-ance in particular, are master minded by patriarchal attitudes and misgivings.
Many women do not believe in their own empowerment, they submit all their rights at the feet of their oppressors, they are not assertive nor willing to be empowered. They quickly settle for less when they are capable of achieving more. A good number of them are not fully educated and sufficiently skilled to earn income for financial freedom.
If women are not empowered, what are the resultant effect?
When women are not empowered they contribute less to national development. Imagine if the potential resident in half of the Nigeria population lie dormant and untapped, very little progress will be made developmentally.
Disempowerment of women has led to poverty of not only the women but the families that depend on them. An uneducated mother is highly limited in chances of supporting her child’s education, mentally and worst still lacking in appropriate health seeking behaviour.
She didn’t only enumerate the significance of women empowerment in any society or country but also structures she has put in place through the efforts of the groups she is representing in the country. Excerpts:
It’s discovered that when you empower women, you are definitely building a nation, how real is this statement?
Investing in women development is globally acknowledged as one in the right direction, without which any attempt at nation building would flounder and run counter productive. A woman is the life wire of her family. She is the first nurse, the first teacher, the living food mall, the eye through which a baby sees the world on arrival, through whose hands and tender touch he/she feels the love of God!! She is one person aptly described as multi-potential multi-talented and multi-tasking.
She is the pivot on which the family revolves. The best any nation or government can do to improve health and social well being of the smallest unit in the society – the family, is to empower women and fulfill the axiom that when you educate a woman, you train a nation.
Tell us various ways women can be empowered at home and in the society?
We empower women when we increase their access to basic education, basic health care, loans and micro finance to assist them in their little businesses. When we give them voice in decisions that affect them, when we involve them in development activities in the community, when we allow them in the community. We empower women when we give them sense of self worth, treat them as equal humans as men, not as property that can be inherited, disposed off at will, not as a slave.
What is your organisation doing to ensure that women are fairly empowered and given their rightful position both in Edo and in Nigeria as a whole?
My organization, African Women Empowerment Guild, has done a lot to empower women locally and nationally. AWEG raised ten literacy centres in Edo State where women were in a majority. Some graduates of our literacy centres went ahead to do primary 6 examinations to obtain First School leaving Certificates with which they entered Junior Secondary schools. With pride we celebrate those who went ahead to do degree programme in universities from the background of empowered illiterates. This year’s International Women Day Celebration is devoted to a collection of women achievers of such calibre.
AWEG has been assisted with funds by develop-ment agencies like UNODC and UNICRI to give young women some training and start up capital to do businesses. Over 70 women in Edo state had so far benefited from micro finance and vocational skills development and income generation.
AWEG has mobilized women to increase their tempo in political participation since 1998. With assistance from the British Council, United States Information Service, DFID, UNIFEM, UNDP, AWEG has trained women leaders, female politicians, career women to understand the gender issues that have held back from making even with their male counterparts in all spheres of life. Over 2000 women had so far benefited from seminars, workshops and commu-nity sensitizations.
Why do we not have enough women in place of leadership today in Nigeria?
The processes that currently produce leaders in Nigeria is male dominated. There has been no female President, Vice President nor Governor in Nigeria. The mindset of voters and party leaders has not favoured women, thus the nomination, election and appointment of party members into leadership and govern-ance in particular, are master minded by patriarchal attitudes and misgivings.
Many women do not believe in their own empowerment, they submit all their rights at the feet of their oppressors, they are not assertive nor willing to be empowered. They quickly settle for less when they are capable of achieving more. A good number of them are not fully educated and sufficiently skilled to earn income for financial freedom.
If women are not empowered, what are the resultant effect?
When women are not empowered they contribute less to national development. Imagine if the potential resident in half of the Nigeria population lie dormant and untapped, very little progress will be made developmentally.
Disempowerment of women has led to poverty of not only the women but the families that depend on them. An uneducated mother is highly limited in chances of supporting her child’s education, mentally and worst still lacking in appropriate health seeking behaviour.
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