The Woman Leader, Abuja Chapter of National Association of Nigerian Traders Chief (Mrs) Rachael Adewumi, (2nd from right, displaying the award and its certificate), the Registrar, West African Association of Institute of Strategic Educational Administrators, Dr Ibrahim Simon, (3rd from right), Traders Woman Leader, Dutse Alhaji Plaza, Mrs Esther Ojedokun and others at the occasion of conferring Dr Adewumi with Fellowship Award, by then institute, which coincided with her birthday celebration on Thursday in her office in the nation’s capital.
By Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka,Abuja
Worried by continued declining of women in Nigeria’s upper and lower chambers of parliament, the woman leader, National Association of Nigeria Traders (NANTs), Abuja the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter, Chief (Mrs) Rachael Adewumi and the registrar, the West African Association of Strategic Institute of Educational Administrators, also in the FCT, Dr Simon Ibrahim have called for encouragement and involvement of women in Nigeria’s Senate and House of Representatives.
They made their feelings known to journalists at separate interviews during the conferment of fellowship award by the institute to the FCT NANTs Woman Leader on Friday which coincided with her birthday celebration in her office in the nation’s capital.
While praising and thanking God for the award and adding another year in her age under good health, whose celebration coincided with the award, and promising to continue to involve God in all her dealings, Adewumi prayed to God to continue to give her all it takes to do more of whatever she has been doing, that earned her the award.
Speaking on the importance of women in the both legislative chambers, the woman leader, said that she wasn’t challenging the men, adding that she recognizes them as their husbands and the head of the families, but was quick to demand that due to their prudence in management of resources, the women, according to her shouldn’t be discouraged to participate in the parliament.
Adewumi however believed that with all the genders in the parliament, the results, according to her would be perfect deliberation and effective legislation, even as she added that knowing the importance of a woman, God created them a man and a women.
Advising the few women in the two chambers to represent Nigerians well, and prove it to the world that Nigerian women legislators can perform, she advised the men to stop frustrating and discouraging the women in the country’s politics and governance. “This country belongs to all of us, so no one gender should claim monopoly over it,” she stated.
Also frowning at the declining of the number of women in the two chambers of legislature, the Institute’s registrar however spoke at length on the need for the women to be encouraged into politics, so as to have among other equal gender in the parliament.
Speaking on the reason why they gave her the award, Ibrahim Simon explained thus: “She has trained and empowered widows and other less privileged, using her Non Governmental Organisation, the TAKEM Empowerment Initiatives; she has created employments, contributed to increase in the GDP and tax, through her TAKEM Trading Company Limited and; she has been effectively, leading the women traders in the FCT. All these, among others were the reason behind the award.”
