From Uche Usim, Abuja
The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) is pushing for gender equality in its manpower structure by increasing the women population from the current 40% to 50% in the nearest future; in view of their strategic place in the socio-economic ecosystem of the country.
The Board Chairman of NDIC, Mrs Ronke Shokefun, made the push on Wednesday in Abuja at a conference designed by the Commission to celebrate IWD 2022.
According to her, women need to work hard and remain dedicated to organisational goals in any space they find themselves in order to get a seat at a male-dominated table.
She urged women to work collaboratively and partner with the men to move up the social ladder.
She said: “More and more women are getting seats at the table. How do we sustain this development? Are women ripe and ready for the next position? Some expect it to drop on their laps. You must qualify, have the requisite competence. Their higher you go, the weightier the consequences of your actions. Dream and work hard always. Women also need to speak up where necessary. They need to interact better. We need to engage more starting from the family level. Share ideas with your husband. At the end, it’s two wings to a plane. If you earn an income, you can support the family. We are under a little 40 percent of women population in NDIC. But we want to grow it”, she said.
In his goodwill message, the Managing Director of NDIC, Mr Bello Hassan who was represented by the Director, Corporate Services, Mrs Emily Osuji, described the women staff as a great asset to the Corporation; as they continue to demonstrate all the values that the Corporation holds dear, such as professionalism and passion in ensuring the Corporation achieves its mandate.
According to her, the 2022 IWD theme: ‘’Gender Equality Today for Sustainable Tomorrow” recognizes the contributions of women and girls all over the world, who are leading on climate change adaptation, mitigation and response to build a more sustainable future for everyone.
“The need to continue to examine the opportunities, as well as the constraints, to empower women and girls to have a voice and be equal players in decision-making related to climate change and sustainability is essential for sustainable development and greater gender equality. Without gender equality today, a sustainable future, and an equal future, remains beyond our reach.
“In NDIC, we are proud of our women who are well represented at all levels of the organisation. The management of the Corporation have continued to provide an enabling environment for our women to thrive in their chosen careers”, she noted.
In her lecture, Mrs Yemisi Edun, the Managing Director of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) said it was soothing that 40% of NDIC workers are women, even as she called on women to stand up for their rights and help in ending the bias.
“Can we say we are moving towards gender parity? Have we done what New York women did in 1908 as they marched for women’s rights.
“To break the bias, we need more actions. Gender equality and climate change are part of what make women more vulnerable than men.
“Climate change and its negative impact elevate sexual violence, poor birth issues and others. These hit women more.
“The UN says that 80% of those displaced by climate change are women. Conditions of poverty are more pronounced in women
“Women constitute over 60% of poverty-stricken Nigerians.
Mitigation, financing, technology transfer are what women should drive for the good of the country.
“We’ve partnership with organisations to reduce the vulnerability and cushion effect of climate change among women and youth. There are 54 million Nigerian women living in rural areas and are mainly farmers” she said..
She urged women to always study and acquire knowledge to remain competitive.
“We need to network. Women need to support each other and build a support system” she added.