I remember in my tertiary institution l attended in Nigeria, prior to going to United Kingdom, l was promoted from the editorial team and made the president of the school press club. This was normally not supposed to be the case as a second year student. l remember the expectations from on-lookers who felt only 3rd year students who have served the school press club with lots of articles to their name were made president and definitely a male student should be made the president.
At that time I was the first female student and also first 2nd year student to be made the school press club president as the former president ,having read some of my previous articles, saw something in me and changed the norm then.
I remember my very first article l wrote, which was titled "OPPRESSOR" . The rest is history, l remember it was a short article about 500 words , and it caused students and lecturers to leave their lecture halls. The press board area was filled and it seemed like a riot was about to happen. The campus security came and took the press board away briefly for one day due to the sensation of the article.That article brought about clear progressive changes in the school and l was invited then to the provost office.l achieved then what my predecessors could not achieve through that one article.
The struggle for inclusion of more women in top political positions in Nigeria has been going on for ages even when l was in secondary school in Nigeria. Even now, it is still just talk and little action. l thank God we now have a president ( his excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu)who respects and regards women whose wife ( her excellency Remi Tinubu) is also a big advocate for women. However unfortunately we still have some women among us who do not see the big picture of what l and a few other women are trying to accomplish for other women in this campaign. The aim for more women inclusion in politics and our great APC party to be the pacesetter of including more women in senior political positions at both federal and state levels.
I am using this opportunity to call on our brothers and sisters in the media to give me and other women, I will choose from in this forum, to join me in a public debate on why women should be included in top political positions both at federal and state levels of Government in the country.
I look forward to such media invite, our voice must be heard.
Our Voice Our Votes
Dr. Mary Mena Akpoguma Okuoimose
( DBA/PhD, MBA, BA, HND, RN, CMI, MCMI)
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