First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, addressing her audience at the American Women's Club Annual Membership Tea.
First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola (R), at the American Women's Club Annual Membership Tea.Sep 18, 2007 - American Women's Club Annual Membership Tea
I bring you warm greetings from my husband, His Excellency, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, Governor of Lagos State. I also thank you so much for inviting me to this year’s membership tea as one of your honoured guest speakers.
Let me use this opportunity to welcome the new Consul General Ms Donna Blair to Lagos State. I wish her and the new Ambassador of the United States to Nigeria, who I am informed is also a woman in the person of Ms Robin Sanders a pleasant stay in Nigeria and success in their new assignment.
Madam President, I have heard many encouraging comments about your club especially in the area of social responsibility. I want to thank you for the support which you have been giving our people especially in Lagos State.
You have asked me to make brief comments about women and our boundless potential. Let me start by making a simple illustration with a bird. In order to fly and reach the highest height possible, a bird must make effective use of the two wings. Societies that have achieved greatness are those that recognise, mobilise and develop the potentials of every citizen irrespective of gender towards national growth and development. This point was emphasized by the former United Nation Secretary General, Mr. Koffi Anan when he noted that the role of women in decision making is central to the advancement of women around the world, and to the progress of humankind as whole. He also stated on another occasion that women possess half the brainpower of the universe, and any institution that fails to make use of half its potential intellectual or creative assets is short-changing itself.
Today, the question is not about whether women have the potentials to contribute to societal development because this has been proved in the affirmative on several occasions. Rather the question is about giving women the opportunity to demonstrate fully those potentials. This is the essence of the Affirmative Action which recognises the need to as a deliberate policy raise the platform for women especially in a chauvinistic society.
Women are faced with challenges which limit their capacity to actualise their potentials. Some of these include poverty which has been described as having a woman face; harmful cultural practices, disease, ignorance resulting from lack of or inadequate education, gender violence, early marriage among others. It is true that most of these challenges are more pronounced in less developed countries especially Africa. However, developed countries also have challenges that are peculiar to them. For example, the world is waiting to see when United States of America will produce its first female president. I believe its going to happen soon especially with the recent election of the first female speaker.
The good news is that we are making progress although the pace may not be at the speed expected. Today, Africa has produced its first female president in Liberia, Rwanda parliament has almost 50% of its seats occupied by women, which has been noted as the highest anywhere in the world.
We also have women who by dint of hard work, courage, perseverance and steadfastness are pulling their weight both in the public and private sectors of the economy.
The goal now is to replicate this success story in as many women as possible. This will require a collective action among women themselves to address the challenges that have made difficult the development and actualisation of our potential. Women groups such as yours must be united in this regard to unleash our boundless potentials.
In Lagos State, we at the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) are contributing our quota to this process through our annual National Women Conference which has the objective of creating a platform where challenges facing women are discussed and possible action plans are developed. I want to thank you for the participation of some of your members at previous conference. I look forward to your participation again from Wednesday 31st October to Friday 2nd November when this year’s edition will hold.
Once again, I appreciate the invitation not only to be part of this event but also the opportunity to express my views on the issue of women and our boundless potentials.
Thank you for your kind attention, God bless you all.
Her Excellency
Mrs. Abimbola Fashola
First Lady of Lagos State