News
Unstoppable You: Towards Gender Equality
By Austin Okere
In commemoration of this year’s International Women’s Day, I would like to honor our womenfolk by sharing the essence of my keynote at the last annual WIMBIZ conference at the Eko Hotel in Lagos, aptly themed UNSTOPPABLE YOU: REINVENT & REINVIGORATE.
To start with, I was deeply impressed by the preparation leading up to the event and by the attention to detail during the event; starting on time, to the full attendance and seamless coordination.
No small feat for an event of over 2,000 participants. Well done to the Board of Trustees and Executive Council of WIMBIZ. Having said this, Women do not seem to be making it in any large number to the top of any profession anywhere in the world, even though the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number five is Gender Equality.
The numbers tell the story quite clearly: Sahle-Work Zewde, Ethiopia’s first female president is currently Africa’s only female head of state; of 190 Heads of State in the world, only nine are women; of all the people in parliaments in the world only 13% are women; in the corporate world, C-Level Jobs and Board Seats, only 15% are women; there are only two female CEO’s in the banking sector in Nigeria; even in the nonprofit world, where you expect more women to be in leadership positions, there are only 20% of women at the top; last year just 2% of Venture Capital funding went to startups founded by women, this is not surprising, since women comprise just 9% of the decision makers at U.S. Venture Capital Firms; and the numbers have not moved very much since the turn of the 21st century.
The other problem that women face is having to make tougher choices between professional success and personal fulfillment. A rent survey in America showed that of married senior managers, two thirds of the MEN had children and only one third of the WOMEN had children.
Verna Myers, an African-American Diversity Consultant once told a revealing story at a TED talk; Verna was on a long-distance flight; and having settled into her seat, the voice of a female pilot came over the public announcement system. Wow! she thought to herself, we women are indeed breaking through the class ceiling. We are now rocking stratosphere! With that she settled into a book. Not very long after, the plane went through some very severe turbulence.
The first thought that came to her mind was “I hope this sister can drive this thing”. And then she caught herself. What bothered her was that this thought will not at all have crossed her mind at all if the pilot had been male; and these are the hidden biases that many of us carry and have been carrying for centuries. We are mentally associated with the male as competent, and successful.
In the work place men seem to be overwhelmingly our default. Rightly or wrongly, we trust the strategic roles to men, cementing stereotypes and prejudices in which we have been schooled over and over. I usually get this from our womenfolk in the workplace.
“I prefer to hang with the guys because…” Well, this is who you feel implicitly connected to; that is your default. Do not be hard on yourself for falling into this category because a lot of research on implicit association test, which measures unconscious bias seem to suggest that our default are indeed men.
We need to get out of denial that these stereotypes exist and rather look within; and be willing to change ourselves and who we trust and feel connected to.
Scientists tell us that instead of denying our gender biases, we should be changing our mental associations of who women are; by staring and memorizing the faces and names of the most awesome women we know.
This helps us to dissociate the automatic associations that happens in our brains. It helps us to relearn a new awesome trust and break the stereotypes associated with women.
When we see a woman in a successful role, say a leading role in a hit movie, our thoughts seem to drift to “who did she have to sleep with” but we hardly ask that of successful men.
Unfortunately, both men and women are guilty of these associations, whether inherent or expressed; implicit or explicit. Biases are the stories we make up about people before we know who they actually are; but how are we going to know them without being willing to embrace them? This is why we need to get disconfirming data that proves that our old stereotypes are wrong.
While I do not entirely agree with all her viewpoints, I daresay I admire the good work done by our own Chimamanda Adichie to greatly move the needle forward in this regard.
To break the gender divide, we need men and women to walk towards our discomfort by expanding our social and professional circles and embracing complete gender diversity in our networks.
We need to build the type of relationships that reveal the holistic person and goes against the stereotypes. Wherever you are, ask yourself who is here and who is missing.
How many authentic relationships do we have with aspiring young women? How many do we have in the Boardrooms and in top management positions? How many do we have in politics? We need to get off the fence and become actors and advocates in this journey of diversity and gender equality.
We must call things out when we they are wrong because the other people who see, and perpetrate these stereotypes are our children. Biases are planted and nurtured by none other than us.
Children are born with a mind that is a clean slate, and most of their developing years are spent with their mothers. What do we write on these slates that so strongly reinforces these biases and stereotypes between the genders?
The elephant in the room is how are we going to fix this? I will make bold the following suggestions: Firstly, stand up to be seen, speak out to be heard – keep your hands raised. Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook tells the story about a talk she gave, and after that a young lady in the audience came to see her backstage.
She was upset because Sherly said she would take only two questions more. The lady (and all the other women in the room) put their hands down after the two questions.
But guess what? the men kept their hands up; and guess what else? Sheryl took more questions; and all from MEN. Perhaps this is how the men get ahead. Secondly, claim your place at the table. Beyond giving the glory to God, do not look outside yourself to explain your successes. I find that Women systematically underestimate their own abilities.
This matters, because no one gets to the corner office by sitting on the sidelines. No one gets the promotion if they do not believe they deserve their success. Perhaps this is not unrelated to the fact that while success and likeability are positively correlated for men, they seem to be negatively correlated for women.
People seem to love to be around successful or powerful men. They however, seem to hold successful women to be difficult bosses and not fun to work with. But that should be their problem and not yours. You owe yourself to be the best you can be; but certainly not be a dollar bill that is liked by everybody.
According to the Great Physicist Albert Einstein, Genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work. If you’ve worked hard for it sister; enjoy it! People may say for instance, that Serena Williams is a Tennis World Champion because she was coached by her Dad. If you watched Serena’s interview with a reporter when she was barely 13, you will realize that this could not have been the only factor in her success.
When Serena was asked which tennis Great she would like to be like, she said no; I want to be the greatest tennis player so that other players will like to be like me; how aspirational! Secondly, make your spouse or partner a real partner. Even with all the shocking statistics, women seem be doing much better in the workplace than in our households.
In a home where both spouses work, the woman does much more, because she comes back from work to cook and do the housework. We tend to put more pressure on Boys to succeed than Girls.
We generally do not welcome men in hospitality and in caregiving. Do you notice that when men go for Parent Teachers’ Association meetings or other such events which have been traditionally performed by women, the women do not talk to him or make him feel welcome?
He feels like a misfit, even though his action choice goes a long way in alleviating gender imbalance; it seems that we are not sure where we want our menfolk. Just imagine the look on the face of your Mum or Mother-in-Law when they come to visit and see your husband in the kitchen sweating over a cooking pot, perhaps because you have a very important project to turn in at the office the next day. And they are women!
We must make it as important a job in the home as it is outside. The man should not be perceived as a low flier if he opts to do the job at home. We must learn not to feel ashamed of him if this were the case. We must make it comfortable for both sexes to choose to contribute fully in the workforce or at home.
The partners that have understood this have a much healthier relationship. Thirdly, do not leave before you leave (i.e. mentally quitting before you actually quit to go and start a family).
In other words, keep your foot fully on the gas pedal at work until you are finally decided and ready to leave. Do not start leaning back because you are planning to get married and start a family.
Remember that the thought and the action could be quite far apart. Success is never going to be easy. As Denzel Washington says; fall down seven times get up eight. Without commitment you will not start, and without consistency you will not finish.
Borrowing a page from John Maxwell, I made the following tradeoffs in seeking to leave my footprints in the sands of time: Firstly – Exchanging Affirmation for Accomplishment – I stopped being a people pleaser.
Secondly – Exchanging security for significance – I changed my attitude towards uncertainty.
Thirdly – Trading Immediate Victory for Long Term Sustainability – I stopped measuring my performance solely in terms of immediate results.
In doing these, the three Ws that sustained me were: Way power – aptitude; Will power – attitude and Wait power – patience. Perhaps you may also find these helpful.
My passion for gender balance opportunities has led me to co-facilitate the SDG Africa Centre’s 100 women CEO Mentorship across 10 countries, as well as set up a the Ausso Leadership Academy to mentor entrepreneurs and business leaders towards institutionalization and geometric growth.
I urge you to take advantage of these programs.
I am an advocate because I believe that a world that has 50% of men and women involved in running Counties and Businesses will be a better place for all of us.
I wish to conclude by on the following note of caution; the future should be about equal opportunities for both men and women. We don’t want to make the same mistake by just flipping the gender problem.
We truly need both men and women working together to create a world that works for us all, and for our future generations.
At this anniversary of the International Women’s Day, I encourage our women to be reinvigorated, reinvented, and truly unstoppable. Always remember that candle losses nothing by lighting other candles. When you get to the top, please remember to send the elevator back down.
Austin Okere is the Founder of CWG Plc, the largest ICT Company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange & Entrepreneur in Residence at CBS, New York. Austin now runs the Ausso Leadership Academy focused on Business and Entrepreneurial Mentorship
ValueJet is set to expand its fleet with the introduction of Boeing aircraft. The airline in a statement said that the introduction of Boeing aircraft was part of its effort at increasing capacity, strengthen its regional operations and position the airline for wider connectivity across Africa.
The acquisition of Boeing aircraft is coming after its successful operations with the Bombardier CRJ aircraft, which have supported its domestic and regional expansion since it commenced commercial operations.
Omololu Majekodunmi, Managing Director of ValueJet, said the move would enable it to accommodate more passengers and cargo, operate longer routes and respond to the growing demand for air travel within Nigeria and across the African continent.
Majekodunmi, also said that the fleet expansion was a defining moment in the company’s journey, noting that the introduction of the Boeing aircraft would open a new chapter for the carrier.
According to him, ValueJet has remained focused on building a safe, reliable and customer-oriented airline since its entry into the market, adding that the transition to Boeing aircraft was being supported by investments in manpower development and technical capacity.
He said: “The arrival of Boeing aircraft into our fleet represents an exciting new chapter for ValueJet. Since commencing operations with our CRJ aircraft, we have remained focused on building a safe, reliable, and customer-centric airline.
“As we prepare to induct the Boeing aircraft, we are also investing in our people by ensuring our engineers receive world-class training that will enable us to maintain the highest standards of safety, reliability, and operational excellence. This investment positions us for the next phase of our growth and reinforces our commitment to delivering an exceptional travel experience.”
According to Majekodunmi, as part of preparations for the fleet upgrade, ValueJet’s aircraft maintenance engineers are already undergoing intensive technical training on Boeing aircraft in Lagos.
The training, delivered by Boeing through its partnership with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, focuses on the Boeing 737 Next Generation (737NG), covering aircraft systems, maintenance procedures, safety standards and operational best practices.
The airline said the training would equip its engineers with the required expertise to maintain the new aircraft type in line with global aviation standards, including European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) requirements.
Also speaking, Adekunle Soname, Chairman of ValueJet, said the introduction of Boeing aircraft was not just a fleet expansion programme, but a strategic investment aimed at supporting the airline’s long-term growth ambitions.
With the planned arrival of the Boeing aircraft, ValueJet is targeting expansion into more African destinations, including Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire, Libreville in Gabon, Douala in Cameroon, as well as cities in Kenya and South Africa.
The airline said the new routes would form part of its strategy to strengthen intra-African connectivity and provide passengers with more travel options.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, July 15, ordered the final forfeiture of 48 properties linked to the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, who is facing money laundering charges.
Abubakar Malami
The court, in a judgment delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, held that the properties, allegedly acquired with proceeds of crime, should be permanently seized by the federal government.
It held that Malami, who served as Justice Minister from November 11, 2015, to May 29, 2023, under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, failed to rebut the reasonable suspicion that the properties were acquired through unlawful activities. The court dismissed contentions that some of the affected properties belonged to the larger Malami family in Kebbi State. According to the court, the legal issue was not “who owns the property, but how legitimate were the funds used to acquire them”.
Justice Abdulmalik held that Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act empowered the court to order the final forfeiture of illicitly acquired assets to the government. The judgment followed an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Although the anti-graft agency sought the forfeiture of 57 choice properties it said were traced to the former minister, the court held that there was credible evidence establishing the genuine ownership of nine of the listed properties. The EFCC and Malami had adopted their final written addresses in the matter on May 26.
It will be recalled that the anti-graft agency had earlier secured an interim forfeiture order for the assets, valued at over N212 billion. According to the anti-graft agency, the properties, spread across three states (Kebbi, Kano, and Kaduna) as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja—were believed to have been acquired with proceeds of crime. In an ex parte motion brought before the court, the agency said the interim order was needed as a precursor to the final forfeiture of the properties to the federal government.
Malami is currently facing a 16-count money laundering charge. He was arraigned before the court alongside his son, Abdulaziz, and one of his wives, Hajia Bashir Asabe. The defendants were alleged to have laundered public funds totalling about N9 billion.
According to the EFCC, the former Justice Minister, in a bid to hide his proceeds of crime, resorted to acquiring choice properties in various cities and states. Having granted the interim forfeiture order, the court directed the agency to publish, within 14 days, a notice inviting anyone with an interest in any of the properties to appear before it and show cause why they should not be forfeited to the government.
Dissatisfied with the EFCC’s application, Malami’s legal team approached the court to have it set aside, insisting the properties were legitimately acquired. He told the court that the properties were appropriately listed in various asset declaration forms he filed with the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), insisting the EFCC had failed to adduce any prima facie evidence that they were acquired through proceeds of crime.
Accusing the EFCC of suppressing material facts, Malami maintained that the agency moved against him over properties that “were lawfully acquired post-appointment of the respondent/applicant and declared with the Code of Conduct Bureau as legitimate assets of the respondent/applicant, in compliance with the 5th Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in 2019 and 2023”.
He argued that the interim forfeiture order was obtained through “manifest exaggeration, malicious inflation of the value of the assets, and unreasonable and incompetent valuation deliberately manipulated to mislead the court, negatively affecting its discretion in granting an order based on manipulated facts and conclusions deliberately cooked up by the applicant/respondent (EFCC)”.
While adopting his final brief of argument, counsel to the EFCC prayed the court to grant the final forfeiture order, relying on a 47-paragraph affidavit and 46 exhibits filed in support of the motion. The EFCC counsel argued that Malami had failed to satisfactorily explain the legitimate sources of the assets and urged the court to order their permanent forfeiture.
In response, the counsel representing the former AGF urged the court to dismiss the application and set aside the interim forfeiture order earlier granted. The defense counsel relied on a counter-affidavit deposed to by Malami to argue that the EFCC’s case was founded on suspicion rather than credible evidence.
The court-ordered list of confiscated properties includes:
A luxury duplex at Amazon Street within Cadastral Zone A06, Maitama, purchased in December 2022 at N500,000,000.00 (value after enhancement, N5,950,000,000).
A two-wing, large storey building situated at No. 3, Onitsha Crescent, Area 11, Garki, Cadastral Zone A03, Abuja (formerly Harmonia Hotels Limited), FCT, purchased in December 2018 at N7,000,000,000.00.
Plot 683, Jabi District, Cadastral Zone B04, comprising a five-storey building (now Luxurious Meethaq Hotels Ltd, Jabi, with 53 rooms/suites), purchased in September 2020 at carcass level at N850,000,000.00, with an additional N300,000,000 to take possession (value after completion, N8,400,000,000).
Property No. 3130, within Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District, FCT, Abuja, comprising terraces, purchased in January 2021 at N360,000,000.00.
Property No. 3, Rhine Street, Maitama, Abuja (Meethaq Hotels Ltd, Maitama, with 15 rooms), purchased in February 2018 at N430,000,000.00 (current value after rehabilitation, N12,950,000,000).
Plot No. 1241B, Asokoro District Zone (No. 11A Yakubu Gowon Crescent), Asokoro District, purchased in July 2021 at N325,000,000.00.
Shop No. C82, Citiscape — Shariff Plaza, Plot 739, Cadastral Zone A07, Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse II, FCT, Abuja, purchased in March 2024 at N120,000,000.00.
No. 4, Ahmadu Bello Way, Nasarawa GRA, Kano, purchased in December 2022 at N300,000,000.00.
Plot 157, Lamido Crescent, Nasarawa GRA, Kano, purchased in July 2019.
A plaza, commercial toilets, laundry facility, and warehouse tanks adjacent to Birnin Kebbi Market, purchased in 2021 at N100,000,000.00.
100 hectares of land along Birnin Kebbi–Jega Road, purchased in 2020 at N100,000,000.00.
A four-bedroom bungalow, Gesse Phase, Birnin Kebbi, purchased in 2023 at N101,000,000.00.
Shops Nos. A36 and B3, Vegas Mall, Wuse 2, Abuja, purchased in July 2023 at N158,000,000.00.
No. 26, Babbi Drive, BUA Estate, Abuja, purchased in 2022 at N136,000,000.00.
No. 27, Efab Estates Avenue, 59th Crescent, Gwarimpa, Abuja, purchased in January 2016 at N120,000,000.00.
A four-bedroom house with two-room boys’ quarters at No. 10B, Doka Crescent, Abakpa GRA, Kaduna, purchased in January 2018 at N40,000,000.00.
Plot No. 13, Ipent 7 Estate, Karsana District, Abuja, purchased in June 2018 at N85,000,000.00.
A four-bedroom duplex with boys’ quarters at No. 12, Yalinga Street, off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja, purchased in October 2018 at N150,000,000.00.
Two warehouse shops, B40 and B46, Wuse Market, Abuja, purchased in July 2020 at N50,000,000.00.
Twin houses at Zone E, Apo Legislative Quarters, Cadastral Zone B01, Plot 14014, Gudu District, Abuja, purchased between February and May 2017 at N250,000,000.00.
Properties acquired by the Khadimiyya for Justice & Development Initiative at Academic Garden City, Birnin Kebbi, sold by the Federal Housing Authority Mortgage.
Nine units of three-bedroom bungalows, three units of two-bedroom bungalows, and 5.4 hectares of land, purchased between February and September 2023 at N187 million.
A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Maitama has granted bail to former Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Mr Danladi Umar, in the sum of N100 million with one surety in like sum.
Danladi Umar
Justice Peter Kekemeke granted the bail on Wednesday following Umar’s arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a four-count charge bordering on alleged abuse of office and conferring undue advantage on himself while serving as Chairman of the CCT and Chairman of the CCT Tender Board.
Umar was arraigned by the EFCC on July 9.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, counsel to the defendant, Mr Sunday Edward, urged the court to admit his client to bail pending the determination of the case, citing relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
Edward argued that the defendant was entitled to bail as guaranteed under the law.
However, EFCC counsel, Mr Christopher Mshelia, opposed the bail application, urging the court to deny bail and order an accelerated hearing of the matter.
In his ruling, Justice Kekemeke held that bail could not be denied based on mere suspicion that an accused person might commit another offence if released.
The judge said bail could only be refused on established grounds, including the likelihood of the defendant evading trial or interfering with witnesses.
Justice Kekemeke noted that Umar was no longer in a position to intimidate witnesses, adding that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence showing that he would abscond or interfere with the trial process.
He held that it would be wrong for the court to deny bail based on an unsubstantiated belief.
Consequently, the judge admitted Umar to bail in the sum of N100 million with one surety in like sum.
The court directed that the surety must own a property within the jurisdiction of the court.
The matter was adjourned until Oct. 29 for trial.
Umar served as Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal from 2011 until 2024, when he was removed from office by President Bola Tinubu following recommendations by the National Judicial Council.
NBC Scraps Annual Digital Access Fee on DSO
Surge in Fibre Cuts Hobbles Service Provisioning
Why Bandits, Kidnappers are Hard to Trace despite NIN-SIM Linkage – FG
First Securities Brokers Empowers Nigerians to Trade in the Stock Market with the Launch of FirstInvest App
Quest Merchant Bank Hosts Great Place to Work® Nigeria Study Mission
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
Nigeria Launches FreeTV Nationwide
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
CANAL+ Partners Samsung to Pre-Load DStv Stream on New Samsung TVs In Nigeria, Other African Countries
Telecom3 days agoMTN Nigeria Slashes Cost of Broadband Internet Router, Unwraps New Data Bundles for Low-Budget Users
E-Financial3 days agoNigerians Accumulate $59Bn in Cryptocurrency Assets —FDC
E-Financial3 days agoFlutterwave Partners Xoom on Transfers into Nigeria
General News3 days agoNearpays, Nigerian Fintech Becomes First African Startup to Win UN’s AI for Good Innovation Factory
News3 days agoDataPro Upgrades Dangote Cement’s Credit Rating to AA+
Telecom3 days agoNokia’s 14 Years of Mobile-Phone Supremacy Ended in an Afternoon
E-Business3 days agoTinubu Orders NIMC to Enrol Every Nigerian by End of this Year – DG
E-Business2 days agoTD Africa Sponsors Check Point Secure 360 Summit to Boost Cybersecurity in Nigeria