For Most, IWD is ceremonial. Equality for them sadly is an illusion.

‘Welcome Madam, so you applied for the role of Executive Assistant to the CEO *****. I can see from your CV that you possess the requisite experience and skills for this role in addition to you being from a legal background. Do you however, understand that this role is quite hectic and requires that you work from Mondays – Saturdays? Resumption is 9am and closure is 4pm but ofcourse, you can not leave the office until I, the CEO has left which is usually around 7pm. Are you married? How many kids do you have? Are you done with childbirth? How do you intend to balance your various roles as a wife, mother and employee if taken for the role? See, I need someone who will give us their all….bla bla bla bla’. (Note that the job advert did not specify that one must be male or unmarried).

This was coming from a male Indian CEO of a very prominent pharmaceutical company in Lagos, Nigeria. I had indeed applied for the role as it was an easier commute for me compared to my previous job. Also I had read the job requirements and expectations and seeing I was up to the task and more, I had applied. Had they stated it was for males only, I would have been glad. At no point did I expect these very deep and personal questions but at that point, I quite understood the genuine albeit somewhat rude concerns of the employer. He needed someone who would be very devoted and never have excuses which were infact most common with ‘family women’. Note that I was already carrying out same role for another employer even though married and with a kid so you could easily say I was up to the task.

I responded to each question with tact and infact, very convincingly. I stated that first I fully understood the rigours of the job and had created a good management system at home to cater for home needs in my absence. I let this CEO know that even though I was a woman, I could well on take up this role and perform well and so all I needed was the opportunity and equal belief to show what I could do. That the homefront was well covered even as I had a supportive husband and so, that would not interfer with my job. I briefly went on to state that In Nigeria, women are lacking equal opportunities to perform like their male counterparts just for the mere fact of being such superhumans who run so many roles all at once like being a mum, wife, entrepreneur, career woman etc.

I had successfully gone through the first two stages of written tests, even computer based amongst others before landing at this final interview and it was unbelievable that this CEO suddenly did not think I was capable of executing the role just because I was married, had a kid and was infact not done with childbirth. My brief speech on the need for equal opportunities obviously fell on deaf ears as I was never called for the job.

Guess the company that has just made a post celebrating the International Women’s Day yesterday, hailing these breed of superhumans called women and calling for equality? Yours truly. Lol. Even when in practice, it is just an illusion to them as they consciously deny women the very same opportunity they give to the male counterparts to excel in their chosen area.

This is the exact case with so many establishments here in Nigeria and abroad. The clamour for equal opportunities could as well be turned into a jingle for all they care, when the situation arises, they will go on and pick the males whom they feel are less encumbered with home responsibilities and should be close to 100% invested in their jobs.

Equality is an illusion for these ones.      The IWD is simply ceremonial,  sadly.

How then do we get people like this male Indian CEO to yield and most importantly embrace this urgent need for gender equality? I believe the Private sector has got a lot of work to do.

We must however never lose our voices in demanding and encouraging conversations on equal opportunities for all, seeing the imbalance and lack of diversity it brings.

Happy International Women’s Day.          #eachforequal #iwd2020

Platforms for Change with Ije.                   IG:   @_ijeomaijezie_    @TheLegalPlugng

 

 

Advocating Gender Equality in Nigeria, a failed effort or a promising one?

To to understand why your effort counts in us attaining Gender Equality in Nigeria, you must first appreciate What Gender Inequality means.

Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender. It arises from differences in socially constructed gender roles as well as biologically through chromosomes, brain structure, and hormonal differences  – Definitions.net

Gender Inequality- Legal, social and cultural situation in which sex and/or gender determine different rights and dignity for women and men, which are reflected in their unequal access to or enjoyment of rights, as well as the assumption of stereotyped social and cultural roles- https://eige.europa.eu/thesaurus/terms/1182

Gender Equality however, refers to all women and men having equal opportunities/ rights. When policies, politicians, researchers and activists refer to gender equality, they are not suggesting that everybody is or should be equal, but that everybody should have equal opportunities- Tavinstitute.org

Getting involved then means that you are able to identify scenarios that limit equal opportunities for women and the girl child who are at the receiving end of this subject. It means you are able to call it out for what it is seeing that you, whether a woman or man will most certainly not appreciate being denied an opportunity just because of your gender. It means you are able to draw the attention of others to the existence and inconsistency of this phenomenon.

By so doing, you are giving life again to Human development as against empowering just a particular gender.

Advocating Gender Equality is far from an effort in futility. It is rather a promising one that has brought to light the very ingrained ills perpetrated against the women and girl child in Nigeria. Conversations have been raised and has pushed for increased engagement on the subject hence creating room for more awareness and changes in limiting practices.

Imagine that everyone is able to identify these inequalities and calls them out, the change and inclusiveness we seek will no longer be far fetched. It is simple- Equal Opportunities with no hindrances nor limitations based on gender. This certainly in my mind is not too much to ask for…to think we have to ask, is a huge disappointment but please…do get involved as Nigeria needs this balance to thrive.

Utilizing Platforms for Change.

 

Two wrongs = Right?

Yaay….Compliments of the Season as we anticipate a fabulous 2020 guyyyys. I feel so excited having to write again as I have been MIA for a bit.

For the past decade, I, as well as many others have moved from one unique phase in life to the next level (usually coming with added responsibilities).

My memory lane.

In the past decade beginning 2010, I successfully scaled through a two year Diploma in Law programme which aided my gaining admission to study Civil Law in the same University. In 2014, I again successfully completed my course of study and moved ahead to Law school in 2015. By 2016 I was called to the Nigerian Bar whilst also completing my National Youth Service in Abuja. By then I had gained employment and began building work experience in Corporate practice/ Real estate/ Youth Development/ Administration and HR. Come 2017, I got married to my heart beat. By 2018, Dec 17 we welcomed our sweet little baby girl and my Oh my, it has been quite a beautiful journey through these years till date.

This sums my journey through the 10 years with so much growth mentally, spiritually, financially, physically and all things good. God has been awesome indeed, and it helps to list these things as it aids gratitude amidst any doubts. So pleeeeease, do share your Memory lane in the comment section.

I couldn’t help but recall an information of some sort I had come across around this time. Most importantly was the fact that the status of said information, remained same which became quite disturbing hence making me wonder if real change could ever be attained in Nigeria or Two wrongs will someday = Right.

Back in 2016, my bestie who worked for a Federal Government Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria as a Medical Doctor had relayed to me the travails he and his colleagues had to deal with on a daily basis while on duty. One struck me back then and it was about the Hospital not having provided the Doctors suitable and decent rooms to have their rest while on Call especially through the nights.

I had then asked so innocently, ‘Does the Management expect you to sleep in your car or what, when the Call for the night is not busy?’. He laughed… suprisingly so heartily, then added that he slept in his SUV boot which was quite spacious when the night was not busy because the only call room available was always swamped with huge mosquitoes and the two mattresses had been riddled with bed bugs and the room generally had a foul laterine smell. And that while his colleagues on Call have had to manage the room, he couldn’t bring himself to battle with the ‘flying terrorists’ as he was prone to Malaria.

I consoled myself with the belief that sooner than later, the needful would be done by Management whom had received several complaints by the Doctors on the poor condition they had to suffer while on duty.

Suprisingly, this problem even as minor as it seems has lingered on till date with no Change in sight. This has triggered a reaction by the Doctors who now rather than continue to sleep in the car boot like my bestie, would rather go home and take their Call from there. We all know what this means. Patients on emergency are wheeled in for immediate attention by a Doctor who ordinarily, should be on ground but this will no longer be possible as he or she must have gone home to better room conditions, assuring themselves of their ability to rush back to work should their attention be needed.

Patients are now at the receiving end of the inefficiency and lack of empathy by the hospital Managements. The Doctors will tell you they are in their right to go back home and take their call from there because when they do not get a good night’s rest, they underperform the next day at work which they must resume at 08:00 am. The Management glaringly has failed to factor in the physical and mental wellbeing of it’s Doctors and the Doctors in turn feel over worked having to manage such poor room conditions and yet be expected to resume same job early the next day. But does this superceed the Hippocratic oath taken at the point of entrance into this sacred profession? I believe the first rule states ‘do no harm’.

I do not think that two wrongs will = a right in this case even though the Doctors have quite a case. This is so because the patients become the unfortunate grass which has to suffer the tussle between the Elephants. Also I think by the Doctors choosing to go home when they should be on ground, they have indirectly consented to doing harm as any patient in need of urgent care by them will be left to his or her fate and the worst usually is the case.

How though do you think this particular dilemma could be remedied? Recall Management has been notified through several means and it is hearsay that the government makes room in the hospital’s budget for these things.

Can real Change be attained regardless of the selfish interests at stake who will not let the right thing be done at the expense of the masses?

Understanding Platforms again, will certainly help in bridging the gap for Change in Nigeria.

Your Comments and constructive criticisms are welcome as usual.

PLATFORMS FOR CHANGE BY IJE

As I read through this innately true and thought provoking write up by Victor  Asemota, one thing struck. A concept that came to my mind a while back as I thought of ways to create sustainable change in my society. Hopefully will better develop same with Time as the spirit leads- PLATFORMS FOR CHANGE.

Your mind may have immediately diverted to platforms as in Public offices or positions right? Not totally. Platforms here refers to Individuals/ Citizens in their typical daily living/ human transactional state.  For example, I see myself as one with a platform as a woman in my space, a wife in my home, a lawyer in the office or court, a commuter/ passenger on a bus. Other examples include a wealthy neighbour in a building, a change desiring agent in the society etc…I am sure you get what I mean now. This platform is quite multifaceted as we all have various areas of our lives where we showcase our different sides to meet the demands of each role. Those in actual positions of power are also accomodated as they are on platforms which they could choose to use in engineering change.

From the write up by Victor, I can say that the truth is, as Nigerians and perhaps Africans, we lack a sense of social responsibility. We lack knowledge and understanding of the kind of power we have, in this sense, Platforms that could be put to positive use in our society. As a young woman living in West Africa, I can confidently tell you that the average Nigerian keenly sees the Government of the day as the ‘fixer’ for all problems plaguing the Nation. Funny that these problems include waste/ liter, insecurity, bad roads, poor electricity supply, bad governance and a host of others whose offices and acts are well occupied and carried out by Nigerians like you and I (who have chosen to abuse or disregard their platforms for change, matter for another day). The rich and affluent citizen does not think of the common man because I mean, he lives in Banana Island or Ikoyi (Our own small London in Nigeria lol) and so wetin concern am with Makoko or Agege. He has the typical mindset of any Nigerian which then is to amass wealth, build fancy houses for his family, travel the world and sleep soundly at night with a peace that assures him of even the best tomorrow.

About 90 million People- roughly half Nigeria’s population live in extreme poverty as estimated by the World Data Lab’s Poverty Clock. In this same country there are people who have amassed so much wealth that they can comfortably take up the needs of their home towns and even environs. If they had an appreciation of their platform as wealthy people in the society, they will not wait for the government to fix the roads in their neighbourhood, or to drill bore holes and erect dilapidated nepa poles or restore electricity to those who have known darkness all their lives. They will realise, that they have what it takes to better their community. Empowering the youths around them with tangible crafts and businesses to know how to fish rather than let them ‘alaye’ around during elections for baits hence turning to complete nuisance and making a mess of structures, creating unrest. There are ripple effects for every action and inaction.

This ‘rich’ are on very credible platforms that could be used to engineer positive change if only they would learn to imbibe social responsibility, brotherliness, seeing that in the end…the whole nation benefits in terms of saner climes, better security as there will be reduced unemployment/ criminality,  safer roads and general tranquility amongst others.

The disadvantages of the rich and infact the general population lacking in any sense of social responsibility which indeed transcends to a full appreciation of platforms for change is that the government/ president/ governor, will continue to be looked upon as the ONLY FIXER AND SAVIOUR there is in the Nation and we all know that this means, a continuous regression in all spheres.

As an individual you must always stay alert by constantly asking yourself this – ‘What can I do for my Country Nigeria?’.

Having that urgent piss along the road at night or even brazingly in the day (yes, only in Nigeria), take a minute, long before to think of the after stench left in the wake of such release and it’s effect on fellow citizens plying the route. Or dropping that wrapper of biscuit consumed by you when you could easily contain same in your bag/ pockets till you see a trash can. Having the horrific mindset that this Nation is finished by the government and so there is nothing to salvage, is a deadly mindset borne out of rigidity and complete ignorance in the face of the dangers of a complacent society.

The truth is that whoever you are, whatever positions you occupy, wherever you find yourself…You are a platform upon which positive Change can be birthed.

Just STOP waiting on your government. Do what you can to transform your space and the people who pass through you.

I strongly believe that a radical change in mindset through awareness creation, needs to first occur and continuously at that, for people to best appreciate Platforms. I implore those who already operate on this level to never deter in pushing for that transformation.

The CHANGE we seek lies in the full understanding, utilization  of our individual platforms.

God bless Nigeria.

Ije’s Platform for Change.