The Nigerian Petroleum Development Corporation (NPDC)/Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) women wing has advocated that Nigerian women should press forward until their desires for gender parity are achieved as obtained in other parts of the world.
Mrs. Ann Olumide, NPDC, General Manager, Supportive Services, made this known during the International Women’s Day Celebration with the theme ‘Press for Progress’ held in Benin-City as she urged them not to allow their unpleasant memories or setbacks to derail them from achieving their goals and objectives.
Mrs. Olumide, represented by Rashidat Rotimi, Manager, Seplat JVNPDC affirmed that there was no gain-saying that several factors had militated against women in the society, but they could surmount all odds and be what they aspired to be in life.
She recalled that the International Women’s Day, as the name implies was dedicated to celebrating womanhood, their social, political, cultural, economic achievements, and their significant contributions to the society, while she emphasised on the importance of gender equality.
However, she went down the memory lane on the origin of the Day as she said: “The earliest observation of a Woman’s Day was held in New York in 1909, and was organised by the Socialist Party of America. A year later, at the International Women’s Conference in Copenhagen, Socialist representatives proposed that there should be an International Women’s Day, inspired by the demonstration in New York, the delegates agreed that an international day should be formed as part of a strategy to promote equal rights for women and women suffrage.
“Every year since 2012, the women day celebration has been focused on, addressing specific issues that affected women all over the world.
This year’s theme is “press for progress.” The imperative of pressing for progress cannot be over-emphasised because, despite the progress that women all over the world have made in the fight for parity and social equity, there are still a lot to be covered.
“If you are in doubt, then you need to take a look at the recently released World Economic Forum 2017 Global Gender Gap Report which disclosed that gender parity is over 100 years away. So, there has never been a more important time than now to keep motivated and press for progress.
“We cannot be complacent. Now more than ever, there is a strong call to press for progress. A strong call to motivate and unite friends, colleagues and the whole communities to think, act and be gender inclusive.”