June 24, (THEWILL) – A foremost female leader, Idongesit Ntem-Isua, has advocated conscious effort by fellow women in ensuring that more women are put forward and financially supported in seeking elected offices in politics.
Ntem-Isua, who is a former Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, staged the advocacy Thursday while addressing the 2.0 edition of Sit-Out by Citizens’s Outreach, called for support for women aspiring to political offices, holistically.
Speaking on the theme: “Rethinking Gender Equity and Reconceptualising Practices,” the former Chief Judge also tasked women to quit envying each other, but rise in support of one another to build a formidable force.
She said: “We need to support each other at all times. Women should always work hand in hand with each other. Let us stop envying and being jealous of each other.
“Political parties should also make conscious effort to put women forward. Purchase of Normination forms should be the least. Capable women should be supported financially throughout the course of campaigning.”
While stressing the need to educate the rural populace on the right to education for the girl-child, Ntem-Isua used the occasion to call on the society to consciously carry the boy-child along in rights advocacy, as they appear to have been left behind.
Chairman of session, Dr. Cordelia Etuk, in her remarks took on equity from the perspective of fairness and justice, charging everyone to take as responsibility to be a proponent of gender equity.
Etuk said: “We are struggling to defend ourselves, to prove a point, that should not be so. Women are wonderfully made. Every woman comes packed full with the potential to add value to society. Let me therefore charge the women to take their place and make a mark.”
In his keynote address, the Chief Medical Director of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Professor Ememabasi Bassey, stressed the need for humans to be treated as individuals, not on the basis of gender.
The don, who moved for the exclusion of gender in the curriculum vitae for job application, said individuals should be employed based on capacity and not gender.
To further be fair, the former Health Commissioner, who is also a consultant gynaecologist, identified maternity leave as one of the factors working against the female gender growth at work places and therefore drummed support for previous calls for paternity leave.
Setting the tone earlier, the Convener of Citizen’s Outreach (CitOut), Mr. Thomas Etuk, said the Non-Governmental Organisation was designed to give everyone a voice by connecting with citizens (home and abroad) to find the needs of each community and foster the implementation of those needs for a better country and people.
The organisation, which according to Etuk has concerns across gender, children, governance, rural, faith based, health, education etc, has, as objectives; the need to connect with people, foster strong bond between leaders and followers, design new thought patterns for leadership and influence political actions among other issues.
Highpoint of the occasion was award of excellence to individual women and organisations who have distinguished themselves in their various fields of endeavour. Notable of these awardees was the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Akwa Ibom State Council, which got the Bridge Builder award.
About the Author
