By Elizabeth Chukwuma
Tony Elumelu, a multi-billionaire business mogul and Chairman off several blue chip Companies including Transcorp Group, a Nigerian Conglomerate has given an insight why Nigerian women must be empowered.
As a guest speaker at the ‘’Nigeria For Women Farming, Health, Empowerment, Justice, Entertainment, , Fundfaising Programme and Project’’, EMPWERHER, organized by Uju Kennedy- Ohanenye, a Lawyer and minister of Women Affairs with the support of Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, Nigeria First Lady, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Elumelu was said to have given kudos to the minister, ’’for her advocacy and drive toward improving the socio-economic and political standing of women’’ in the most populous West African country.
The multi-billionaire business mogul may have used the opportunity provided for the Workshop attended by top level Government officials both at the Federal and state levels, including National Assembly Lawmakers and governors , ‘’to call for a holistic empowerment of women across Nigeria’’.
He was said to have alluded to the’’ remarkable efforts’’ of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who incidentally as a former governor of Lagos, a state of Excellence, whose Leadership, he had said had continued ‘’to support the advancement of gender equality and the empowerment of women a cornerstone of Nigeria’s economic development’’.
The Delta state born investor had said that the Tinubu’s Administration’s prioritization of inclusive policies that addresses the needs of women in every sector the country’s economy, particular, ‘’Agriculture, healthcare and Justice’’ bears eloquent testimony to the fact that the present Tinubu’s Administration is determined’’ to uplift women and children through such policy initiatives such as the Renewed Hope Agenda, which was said to have laid a’’ strong foundation for the Nigerian women advancement in all spheres of life’’.
An elated Elumelu, was said to have singled out Ohanenye, the Women Affairs minister, for special recognition, over her unwavering commitment ‘’to addressing the issues of gender equality, women’s empowerment and her hand’s on approach to tackling the barriers faced by women across the thirty states of the Federation and the FCT’’.
The Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, NBS, under the close watch of Semiu Adeyemi, had reported that women make up 49.3% of the country’s total population of over200million people and estimated 0% in the nation’s rural Communities and over 0% of them engaged in Agriculture as a means of livelihood, which many believes is with little or no government financial support from past and present Nigerian government.
Financial analysts had said that if there have been moves by the government support to empower the women in the past years and now, it could have helped many of the rural women to go into mechanized Agriculture as obtained in the North American country of the United States, US, Vietnam and the Asian countries of Thailand and India described home country of par boiled rice farmers, farmers.
It was not surprising why Elumelu, the multi billionaire business mogul, who has investments in critical sectors of the economy, including banking, had emphasized the need why Nigerian women must be empowered.
Studies had shown that if the gender gap in the global workforce can be closed, the world Gross Domestic Product, GDP, could increase to as much as US $12 trillion in 2025 and which would rub off on the Nigerian economy.
Elumelu, who could not hide his feelings had said that ‘’here in Nigeria, empowering women is not just an ethical obligation but must be undertaken because of their indispensable role in feeding the nation’’. Describing it as an economic imperative, the empowerment of women, he noted that’’ a woman with access ‘’to resources, education and justice, is a powerful force for change, lifting her family, her Community and the country in General‘’.
Given an insider information of what is happening in UBA,’Elumelu may have challenged the Tinububu’s Administration when he revealed that in the Pan African Bank, women are the driving force behind its sustainable development and that the Nigerian government could do same in the country’s sustainable development ,innovation and economic growth’’ if the women are properly empowered.
He was said to have participants at the Workshop at the Presidential Villa Banquet Hall that at the 24 countries, both within and outside the African Continent where the bank had established presence, they have actively ‘’embraced, the potential and Leadership of women’’, noting that with 50% representation on the bank’s Board of Directors, the Money Deposit Bank, MDB, 40% female employees are currently occupying management positions.
He was said to have told those that cares to listen that ‘’women are impressive and that 59% of the bank‘s current Management Trainees are all females. This may have informed why Elumelu could beat his chest that the bank is truly leading the charge for gender equality and empowering the female folks as expected.
He would want the Nigerian Government, however to equip the women with the necessary working tools to participate fully in all sectors of the Nigerian economy, from Agriculture, technology, energy, Manufacturing of exportable goods to oil and gas, which he had said ‘’drive the societies to prosper’’.
Beyond Leadership representation in the bank, described as one of the fastest growing financial institution the country with strong Capital base, the UBA, Chairman, had said that through its exclusive Small and Medium Scale Enterprise, SMEs, loan scheme, tailoured for women and women owned businesses in Nigeria and other countries the African Continent, particular, the women are competing with the men in business.
This unwavering commitment, the Pan African Bank’s Chairman, had said underlines its role as the foremost Pan-African Global Banking Group, dedicated to advancing women empowerment and fulfilling the promise of the United Nation, UN, under the leadership of Antinio Guterres, Sustainable Development Goal of achieving gender equality and empowering the female folks going by the analysis of Elumelu, the UBA, plc, Chairman, may have to do a rethink He had emphasized that ‘’empowerment of women are at the heart of sustainable development’’.
Indeed, for those who thinks that it is only the government that should bear the full responsibility to empower the women in Nigeria, they may have to do a rethink. The UBA, Chairman, had said that ‘’it requires the concerted efforts of every Nigerian ,Civil Society Organisations, Development Partners, and the private sect to come together with shared commitment to this cause’’ .
He had said that that the fundraising initiative was an opportunity to all Nigerians, from all walks of life, including businessmen to play roles in transforming the lives of women across Nigeria by contributing to EMPOWERHER, programme. He was emphatic if that could be achieved in the shortest possible time, one may not only be investing in women but’’ o the future of Nigeria, as a whole’’.
Appealing to other Corporations to join hands with UBA plc, to support the EMPOWERHER, cause, by making their contributions whether in the form of cash, donations, materials or provision of services, and provision of empowerment tools, stating that it is the only way women could be said of having fully empowered to showcase the skills.
Recall that Elumelu who, was said to have drawn from the experiences of one , Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani female education activist, film , television producer, and the 2014, Nobel Peace Laureate at the age of 17,, had said that her efforts truly encapsulates ‘’the essence of the EMPOWER HER Programme’’ in Nigeria.
Elumelu had said that the count cannot succeed when half of the total Nigerian population are held back, insisting that ‘’women must not be left behind in rebuilding Nigeria, where ‘’women would be empowered and their voices heard as justice prevails’’. He had stressed that this would go a long way in transforming the lives of the women, across Nigeria and by extension their family members, Communities and the country as a whole.
