The Port Manager, Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, Lagos, Mrs. Funmilayo Bola Olotu, has tasked women all over the world to strive for competency in order to engender equality with their men folks.
Mrs. Olotu gave the task at the commemoration of the International Women’s Day (IWD 2023) with the stakeholders at Apapa Port on Wednesday.
The port manager who
highlighted the importance of women also commended the management of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for being gender friendly, adding that in Apapa port alone, there are several women as Head of Departments,
who at various times positively influenced Operations, Administration, Logistics, HSE, Security, Fire Services, among other departments at the premier port.
“We acknowledge and celebrate their beautiful footprints in the sands of maritime path in Apapa, even as we identify with other accomplished women all over the globe,” Mrs Olotu enthused.
Olotu encouraged women to strive for competency, and not to expect opportunities to be handed down to them on a platter of
gold.
She enjoined women to ensure that they lobby for gender parity in their various organizations.
The Port Manager urged the audience to help forge a gender equal world, as sisters, mothers, wives and daughters and stressed that this begins at home, especially in how female and male children are raised.
She added that the idea must be inculcated into the children from their tender ages.
According to the Port Manager, the theme for this year International Women’s Day (IWD) is embrace equity, emphasizing that it is not a call for competition, rather a call for competence.
In her words: “If you are competent, you do not need to struggle to be recognized, acknowledged or given your due place in any of the organizations.
What some of us do is that, we expect things to be given to us on a platter of Gold, it is not so.
“We are here today, joining the whole world to celebrate women achievements, educate and raise awareness about equality, call for positive change in advancing women.
“Lobby for accelerated gender parity, sometimes it is not by fighting, force or argument, my people usually say that, there are days that you have something to say, but there is no time to say them, and there are days you have time to talk, but there is nothing to say.
“One of the take home I want to you have today is that, however tough the provocation may be, sometimes it is better to keep quiet, my people used to say that, the name you will give to your new born child is inside of you, and until you pronounce it, the child won’t bear the name”.
Mrs Olotu warned women to desist from the pull her down syndrome, saying that the greatest enemy of women sometimes is themselves through envying one another.