by crossriverwatch admin
Senator Liyel Imoke, the Cross River State governor today in Calabar said the ruling People’s Democratic Party PDP, in the State has lived up to the 35% affirmative action for women in the forthcoming local government election billed for September 2013 and promised that the state will still do more to prove why women deserve more than the 35% affirmative action usually accorded them in both political and economic advancement.
Senator Imoke who was speaking on the topic Crisis of Leadership at the annual career day of his Bridge Leadership Foundation, said women in most instances work harder than the men and often take charge of family responsibilities. “Women are always there for the man and the children; assuming at the close of work at 5pm and we the men go to the bar for a drink and suddenly come upon a scenario where our wives are in the bars ordering for rounds of beer what would be our reaction?
“You see the women are the ones who take care of the kids, make sure they eat and their uniforms are always neat but the men do not have much time for that; they are either hanging out with friends or doing something else”.
According Senator Imoke, whenever he mentions the issue of women being more hard working than the men and why they should be given equal opportunities in the political spectrum like the men, people often laugh thinking that he was saying the impossible “but we have in the state made conscious effort towards putting our women at equal footing with our men in the political environment and in the forth coming election, we in the PDP have given the women their 35 percent share and that would be improved on soon”.
Giving examples of countries like Liberia and Malawi where women are heads of government, Imoke said even with the lack of resources of those nations, those countries are doing very well.
The Governor said leadership is all about passion for the people and not personal interest. He affirmed that opportunities abound in the state for anyone who has the determination to make a difference in his life without waiting for a civil service employment.
Mrs. Ini Onok, the Executive Director of the Bridge Leadership Foundation said the foundation is about young people and it is ready to assist them have a story to tell in the future.
“Life does not always have to be bread and butter but sometimes stone but it depends on what you can make of it. Decide to consistently be the biggest thing”.
She said the foundation organizes annual career days to give youths tips on how to take responsibility for their lives and get to the top of their chosen profession.
One of the lecturers at the event, Miss Ola Oyekunri, the Chief Executive Officer of Flying Doctors asked the youths to stop hoping for change but should act change by taking decisions that could better their lives.
She said, “Fear is an integral part of any person but you have to overcome it by deciding to face challenges and take decisions that can affect your life for the better”.
She also emphasized the need for the women to be given opportunity to contribute to the development of the country because they are an integral part of the society. “How many women out of the over three hundred members of the House of representatives are women? Just 25 and no country develops when it leaves over 50% of its population behind” she stressed.
She said many opportunities exist within the country and through determination action, “Nigeria can become the Florence of Italy where knowledge abound and brought about renaissance”.
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