Dr Idiat Adebule, Deputy Governor, Lagos State.
Deputy Gov. Idiat Adebule of Lagos State on Thursday urged women to break new grounds and possibilities to tackle economic slowdown and social disconnection in the country.
Adebule made the call at the 15th Annual Conference of the Women in Management, Businesses and Public Service (WIMBIZ) in Lagos.
The conference had the theme: “The Next Frontier: New Landscape, New Possibilities”.
The deputy governor said that exposure to contemporary skills and knowledge had placed women better to get the nation out of its economic challenges.
According to her, women need to position themselves to rebuild the nation as the next frontier of development in Nigeria.
“Women should not allow the economic challenges to pull them down, but face the future with every amount of determination and vigour, which will help them…in various fields of endeavour and …in reviving the economy.
“Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration will also continue to implement policies that are women-focused; we will also collaborate with NGOs to lift the status of the girl-child and women to enhance their capacities to become employers and wealth creators,” she said.
Adebule commended WIMBIZ for its consistency in promoting the status of women, highlighting their relevance in the society, as well as enhancing their capacity to contribute to nation-building.
Earlier, Prof. Joy Ogwu, a former Director-General, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), said that women were a strategic national and international asset that must not be ignored in any society.
Ogwu urged women to see themselves as vital stakeholders in the political, economic and social development of the nation.
“Population is an index of national power and assets; and since women constitute half of the nation’s population, they are a strategic assets and power for sustainable development.
“The empowerment of women is linked to sustainable development. Women matter to the development and survival of any nation,” Ogwu said.
Dr Adedoyin Salami, Senior Lecturer, Lagos Business School, said that women could change their lot, if they would understand that power had to be taken and not wait to be handed over.
Salami said that women, as the next frontier, was not about home-making, political or economic empowerment, but a review of all domains in a holistic agenda that would enable women to become strategic and viable assets to the nation.
Ms Aishah Ahmad, Chairperson, WIMBIZ Executive Council, said that the conference would help women to strategically navigate the potential negative impacts of the tough economic climate on their careers and businesses.
“The economy is undergoing a slow but significant transformation, and it is important that women are well-positioned to remain relevant in the new economic order that is sure to emerge,” Ahmad said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that WIMBIZ is a Nigeria-based non-profit organisation formed in 2001 by 14 individuals with the aim of elevating the status and influence of women and their contributions to nation-building.
The WIMBIZ annual conference holds in November yearly.
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