The Convener and the initiator of ARA Foundation, Princess Aderonke Ramat Adedoja has said that having a female Nigerian President is possible.
She made this remark on Thursday at the Oyo State Women Entrepreneurship Summit (OWES) themed “Women Rise Up” which lasted for 3 days in Ibadan.
Adedoja while speaking on the motive behind the Oyo Women Entrepreneurship Summit revealed that the programme was aimed at educating and encouraging women to rise up to the highest level by improving themselves towards occupying leadership positions in business and politics.
Adedoja explained that ARA Foundation was established in order to take care of orphans and the less privileged in the society. She hinted that the foundation which had started giving support to the less privileged since December, 2020, and she decided to come up with the Oyo Women Entrepreneurship Summit as a wake- up call on women.
She added that in order for women to increase their participation in politics and other sectors, they must be seen as equal to the men folks with equal and inalienable rights.
“Women should stop sitting on the sideline and should demand what is rightfully theirs. We cannot afford to continue cheerleading for the men. We must rise up and claim our God-given rights as God created us to be equal and leaders.
“In order to increase our participation in politics, we must begin to see ourselves as equal stakeholders with the intelligence, skills and abilities to take up leadership positions in politics,’’ she said.
Adedoja, who was a female House of Representatives aspirant in Oluyole Federal Constituency in 2019, said that women could make ground-breaking achievements in politics if given the opportunity.
“From contesting in the last election, I have understood the game and I have confidence in myself that I can win in the next election without a godfather.
“I have the skills and abilities and it is time for women to support their fellow women so that we can have more female participation in politics. I’m really hopeful that in the 2023 elections, more women will emerge as winners.
“It is up to women to decide they will no longer be docile in politics and we will have a female president in Nigeria very soon, maybe in a decade.’’
Also adding to the call, an entrepreneur, Mrs Folasade Akinrinmola, said that women need more than one skill sets in order to have an edge over the men folks.
Akinrinmola, who is the CEO of A-Z Event Experts, said that today’s women are confronted with several challenges, including poverty and inequality.
“Such challenges should, however, be seen as a ladder to success. Today’s society demands that women have multiple streams of income if they are going to make a meaningful impact in society.
“In order for women to have a good outing in the next general elections, we must be ready to take risks and support one another,’’ Akinrinmola said.
In the same manner, a social entrepreneur, Natasha Akpoti, remarked that women have the intelligence, character and capacity to bring about the much needed social change in Nigeria.
She also called for more affirmative action from government to improve the participation of women in politics.
According to Barrister Natasha, “no business could strive without an idea. She therefore stressed the need for women entrepreneurs to get the right ideas that would make their businesses to flourish.
Meanwhile, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has disclosed its intentions to partner with Oyo state women to promote the cultivation and usage of cassava varieties.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Lateef Oladimeji Sanni, the Project Manager Basic II of IITA called the attention of the participants to the deal attached through creation of awareness sets on the newly released cassava varieties and at the same time draw women attention to the availability of Cassava Tissue Culture Technology..
