Group calls for increased participation of girls, women in mainstream dev’t

A group, Xploit Consulting, has called for mainstreaming of women and girls into national development to help create equal rights and opportunity for nation building.

The Managing Partner of the consulting firm, Dr. Tayo Taiwo, at an event to mark the 2020 International Women’s Day (IWD) with the theme: “Women and Girls in Nigeria: Increasing Participation in Mainstream Development”, organised by his group in conjunction with Access Bank, said, “We must give room to support the women, especially the girls, by catching them young, empower them and support them for nation building,” and added that they were waiting for a day where a woman would rise to become governor or even president in Nigeria.

Dr. Tayo further said, “We have the belief that when we begin to mainstream women in this case; starting with the girls, specifically into national development from a very tender age, from our homes, things will get better.

“What we can do as parents to mainstream is by giving them equal rights, chances, supporting them the same way we are supporting our boys. If you feel that the strength of the girl-child lies somewhere, you build it up and make sure it is not wasted.”

He added that, “If we don’t educate the girl-child, the society will continue to face a downward trend, adding that Nigeria had been having so many notions that were not moving in the right direction.

The Vice President of International Business Development Group, Engr. Janet Adeyemi, in her keynote address, urged women to stay together, complement and support each other to achieve results, adding that they should build up themselves in their areas of interest, be engaged in productive ventures and stand up for their rights while striving to be productive.

Representative of the students of Airforce Girls’ School, Abuja, Mariam Babangida, said, the benefit of going to school exposed her to various situations such as competition with male counterparts, and that from the training she had received in school, it had shown her that whatever a boy could do she could also do; with  perseverance, endurance, passion and dedication.

Her colleague from Baptist High School, Kubwa, Beulah Csado, said the society should give equal opportunities and rights, and added that discriminating against the female gender was not right.

Miss Csado further said, “Even women try to accept what the society portrays them to be. We must stand up from what I have learnt, keep dreaming and keep your focus, one day we will get there if we don’t give up.”