Three prominent women in the Southwest are leading the advocacy for a new deal for women. They are Lagos State Deputy Governor Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; the wife of Oyo State governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi, and Osun State Deputy Governor Otunba Titi Laoye-Tomori.
Mrs Orelope-Adefulire pushed for the inclusion of more women in politics and also called on every government tier to increase investment in women.
The deputy governor said investment in women not only makes more economic sense, but has more impact as it accelerates the nation's march to economic transformation.
She spoke at the just concluded second National Women's Summit organised by the Oyo State Officials' Wives Association (OYSOWA), which held at Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
She said that having more women in politics "is not only important, but also a strategic way of empowering women because it has broader benefits and impact."
She said Nigeria has no excuse to lag behind in giving more political exposure to the women, adding that the world has realised that paying attention to gender balancing and equality is a sure way to promote change and development as well as helping to attain cohesion and stability in the society.
She declared: "Nigerian women have the intellect and the potential to make the nation great. They have demonstrated this through the vital contributions they have made at some point in our history as pioneers of change and development."
The deputy governor who bemoaned the poor status of women, said the empowerment of more women through participation in decision-making at high levels in the country would fast-track the nation's aspiration to join the world's top economies.
Mrs. Orelope-Adefulire, a former Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), was the keynote speaker at the summit whose theme was "Women as Agent of Change."
She argued further that participatory governance with more women would enhance the attainment of gender equality and pro-poor strategy, maintaining that as such, "Nigeria can edge higher among other developing nations with meaningful investment in women, as such investment as smart economics. Indeed, investment in girls is even smarter economics."
Orelope got the nod of the wife of Oyo State Governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi and Deputy Governor of Osun State, Mrs. Grace Tomori.
There were other high-profile women and government officials at the forum.
On her part, the chief host Mrs. Ajimobi, urged participants at the forum to support women in positions of authority in order to enable them succeed and effectively exhibit the leadership potential and capabilities of the female gender.
She said: "Many of our men folk, despite the global strides of women in the political arena, have refused to bury the misconceived perception of the second fiddle place of women in the scheme of things. They still see women from the prism of a disposable commodity or an item that is good only in the kitchen.
"Today, there are still societies which see a woman as subservient to a man, in mental and biological capacity. This is why, in spite of glaring monumental achievements of women across the globe and the phenomenal rise of the role that women play in the world, many are still gender insensitive and perceive women as being mentally inferior and their roles largely unappreciated."
Speaker after speaker commended Mrs. Ajimobi and members of OYSOWA for seeking to effect a positive change in the physical, emotional, social and economic well-being of families and communities in the state, through giving more support and empowerment to women.
"It is my firm belief that an equal participation of our men and women in the development of our nation will certainly help in bring about the desired change in our society, strengthen our economy, and make Nigeria a country to be proud of," said Mrs. Rose Oyedele, one of the resource persons at the forum.
