Our Reporter, Abuja
Former Nigerian minister of education and global advocate for good governance, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has said that in all her work experiences she had canvassed for the inclusion of women in leadership positions because of her total belief in the ability of women to get things done.
She made this remark Thursday in Abuja in a symposium to mark her 60th birthday, which took place at the auditorium of the National Universities Commission, NUC.
While answering questions from a select panel made up of graduates of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG), which she founded, and some secondary school students, during the segment of the symposium titled “Intergenerational Conversations with Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili: Character, Competence and Capacity – Celebrating a Life of Impact,” the former minister said she had no apologies for supporting women in leadership positions.
“One thing that many of the ones that call me Aunty, who call me mum, who call me anything you know, who call me their mentor, one thing they know is that I just say to the girls: You have no business thinking that you will come into the world and the Lord said ‘here you are a woman, take half of the brain of a man.’ He didn’t say that to me so I don’t want you to walk around the world behaving as if you need permission in order to be a great person that He created you to be.
“And in all the assignments that I have done I have made sure to include women. I totally, absolutely believe in the power of women to get things done. Even a lot of the men that are here know this to be true.
“At the School of Politics, Policy and Governance, would you believe that most of the people who come to the school are women? On our faculty we have plenty of women. I have equal number of girls and women that I mentor.
“When I was minister of education I was accused of discriminating against the men. You know I was denying it. And then suddenly it hit me. I said, wait a minute, what are you denying? The women did so well and they found themselves in the positions they were and for the first time in the life of an organisation men are the ones complaining. A beg let them complain ooo,” she said.
Earlier the session, “A Conversation of Women Political Leaders – Accelerators of Women Political Leadership,” moderated by Alyse Nelson of Vital Voices, had featured Silvana Koch-Mehrin, the Founder of Women Political Leaders (WPL), the worldwide network of women politicians, Mrs Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the former President of Liberia.
Some of the dignitaries at the well attended event include, His Eminence, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, retired Catholic arch-bishop of Abuja, Mr. Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Frank Nweke Jnr., the APGA governorship candidate for Enugu State and chairman of the Oby at 60 birthday organising committee, and of course, the husband of the celebrant, Pastor Chinedu Ezekwesili.
