The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) has called on President Mohammadu Buhari to include more women in his next cabinet as he shops for new team to take the country to the next level.
The president of APWEN, Engr Mrs Felicia Nnenna Agubata made this call as the count down to the International Women’s day draws closer.
“We are asking for inclusion based on their competence and demonstrated capacities.Without sounding immodest, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, Sen. Uche Ekwunife, Sen. Aisha Dahiru , Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Hon. Asabe Vilita Bashir fit the narrative. We are using this opportunity to seek support for them because of their competence, training and skill mix. What is good for the geese is also sauce for the gander”
While congratulating President Buhari for his re-election, the APWEN president also congratulated all women elected into the national assembly at the just concluded elections saying they have made the women folk proud.
“In our own context, we are using this medium to congratulate the President and Commander in chief, President Mohammad Buhari; GCFR on the successful conduct of the just concluded presidential and National Assembly Elections and at same time pray for women inclusion as he assembles the new team to drive the country forward.
We wish to recognize and congratulate all female engineers and illustrious women in sundry professions who participated and won the just concluded national assembly elections. They have distinguished themselves and have also impacted our advancement as a society. They have by virtue of these feats become worthy examples and models for the girl-child”
According to Agubata, APWEN, a non governmental organisation with the mission to stimulate women engineers to achieve excellence in the profession and in leadership; and to encourage the Girl-Child to take up the study of sciences (STEM) tailored towards the Engineering profession, has series of programs to achieve its goal which includes the Build It Invent it programme tailored towards the girl child in upper primary school (Primary 5 &6).
Agubata explained that APWEN will join other women globally to celebrate the international women’s day this week adding that this year’s theme of BalanceForBetter was very apt as it coincided with the Nigerian election year.
“The time is right to do everything possible to forge a more gender balanced world. Women have come a long way but we are not yet where we should be. We need to sustain the push for diversity and inclusion: not because we are women but because we have the required skill mix and competence”
“Ample progress has been made globally in some sectors but that is not good enough. Currently the five United Nations Regional Commissions are being headed by Women. i.e Rola Dashiti (ESCWA), Alicia Barcena (ECLAC), Amida Salsiah Alsjahbana (ESCAP) , Olga Algayerova(Economic Commission of Europe ECE),and Vera Songwe Executive secretary Economic Commission for Africa ( ECA). These women are global change agents. We are proud of them”
According to Agubata, with inclusion of women at all levels, the was still hope that more women would come on board and inspire others to follow in their footsteps at all levels of governance both in our domestic polity and at the global level.
She urged women to explore and exploit local and global opportunities to make game changing statements in their chosen fields adding that competence, collaboration, performance and moral courage remained the watchwords.
“We (APWEN) feel privileged to be the platform of choice for structured growth of women engineers and a potent voice for the advocacy to get the girl child to go into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)”
