Enugu governor’s wife, Monica Ugochi Ugwuanyi, has urged Nigerian women in authority to rise, champion and protect the rights and privileges of women in the country.
Ugwuanyi said women rights need to be brought to par with that of men to ensure equality and justice and added that only strong feminist movements can create thriving democracy and a catalyst of positive change.
Speaking during an event to commemorate the International Women’s Day (IWD) in Enugu State, the governor’s wife said the occasion offered women a veritable platform to chart and plan for their future and “how to be relevant and achieve an equal future in this COVID-19 world.”
Noting that women’s participation in politics has increased in recent years, Ugwuanyi said it is “yet not sufficient to fulfil the objectives we set for ourselves, not even the ambition of Beijing Declaration of 1995.”
Highlighting that the theme of this year’s IWD is: “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 World,” the first lady pointed out that most of the healthcare workers, pioneering the treatment of COVID-19 in various hospitals throughout the world, are women.
“This puts them at a high risk, yet they are the minority when it comes to decision making,” she said.
Pushing further on feminism and active involvement of more women in leadership, the governor’s wife said: “You need to prepare and develop yourself to be worthy of being a leader. Read, learn new skills, go for seminars, strive for the best and leave no stone unturned. Remember you cannot give what you do not have.
“We have had a lot of women in leadership positions. Currently, we have the first female Vice President of the United States of America (USA), Kamala Harris, and our own Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first female director general of the World Trade Organisation. Let us come back home; the first female Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Cecilia Ezeilo, and first female Chief Judge of Enugu State, Priscilla Emehelu.
“As governors’ wives, we have started in our various states to make sure we place before our husbands, things that matter for women.”