The Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside has hailed the contributions of women to humanity as the world marks the International Women’s Day.
According to him, women have contributed “sweat, industry, creativity, grace and intelligence” to the emergence of generations and industrial revolutions that have helped shaped humanity.
Peterside, who stated this in Lagos, emphasised that women have played major roles in the growth and development of Nigeria, pointing out that “any country that desires to make progress without giving due recognition to women is doomed.”
Stressing on the theme for this year’s celebration, “Time is Now: Rural and Urban Activists Transforming Women’s Lives”, he particularly paid glowing tributes to Nigerian women who have challenged the status quo and risen to the pinnacle of every profession.
According to a United Nations report, “1 in 3 women experience violence in their lifetime; 830 women die every day from preventable pregnancy-related causes; and only 1 in 4 parliamentarians worldwide are women.”
However, the NIMASA boss says in all the positions he has held, women have been given equal consideration like their male counterpart, adding that he will continue to support every platform that seeks to promote the good of women and their emancipation.
He tasked those occupying different positions in and outside government to give women the leverage to achieve their dreams in life, arguing that “women are the bedrock of any progressive nation” and that any achievement they make reflects on the society.
Quoting from a former first lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, who stated, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent,” Dr Peterside charged Nigerian women not to be deterred in their quest to make the changes they desire in the society.
According to him, “the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government has created several platforms, policies and programmes aimed at giving women the opportunities to become whatever they desire in life, in addition to giving women sensitive positions.”
He summed up by stating that an APC-led government in Rivers State would give women equal opportunities in decision-making policies and activities, as well as providing the leverage to lift women out of poverty and contribute to the socio-political and economic wellbeing of the state.
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