Fashola Advocates Protection Of Women, Children As Investment For Justice, Fairness

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The well attended three-day National Women Conference organized by the Committee of Wives of Lagos Officials (COWLSO) came to an end on Wednesday with the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, asserting that beyond superficially celebrating appointment of women into positions, what Nigerian women really require is justice and fairness and not favours.

In his remarks, as part of the closing ceremonies which also witnessed the award of the 2014 Inspirational Woman of the Year Award to retired Chief Judge of the State, Hon. Justice Ayo Philips, Governor Fashola argued that investment in the protection of women and children was more enduring than the claim of appointing them into political positions.

The Governor, who described the claim by “some people” that their achievement is the appointment of a number of women to certain political offices, as “a very low benchmark for measuring success”, said the issues that agitate women borders on justice, fairness and not favours.

He declared, “Some people are claiming that their achievement is the appointment of a number of women to certain political offices and this is their claim to fame. But for me, this is a very low benchmark for measuring success. If you claim a trophy for appointing a woman I think it is a very low benchmark”.

“I think also that it shows a lack of understanding of the issues that agitate women. In my view, I think women are asking for justice and fairness, they are not asking for favours. And I think the profound issues about protecting them, protecting their children and protecting their assets are much more enduring investments that we can make in order to ensure that women get fairness and they get justice”, the Governor said.

Fashola, who described the claim as disturbing, noted that it is of no use appointing a woman into any political office if the one who appointed her cannot guarantee her protection or the protection of children from being kidnapped, or protecting her from being violated and when she is violated she cannot be guaranteed justice?.

He called on the women, especially those engaged in business and other forms of entrepreneurship, to endeavour to keep their business premises clean at all times pointing out that if they intend to pass such business on to their children, they should make the workplace conducive for their children to come and spend time with them after school or during the holidays in order to learn the trade.

He told the women, “As you leave here and as you think about succession in your businesses, please ask yourselves one question; can my children come to my workplace?. And this is the question that I have asked some of our businessmen and women as we seek to improve sanitation and some of them have replied that they can’t come because it is dirty”.

“Now, how long is that business going to last if by acts of omission of the things we can control we make it impossible or difficult for our children to come to our workplace”, the Governor asked urging them to “begin to do some little things to make our business places, no matter the kind of business that you do so long as it is a legitimate business, a place where our children can stop by on their way from school or come and sit with us on Saturday or whatever day to participate in it”.

While urging them to embrace the culture of Energy Conservation, Fashola said without embracing that culture in their daily energy consumption, given the failure of government at the centre to do so, their expenditure on Power every year would erode any anticipated profit in business or deprive them of money they would otherwise invest in more important family need.

The Governor, who cited a hypothetical case of a two bedroom flat where about 48 or 49 kilowatts of electricity is consumed, said at the current tariff, a consumer should power that kind of flat with about N629 a day if there was regular and uninterrupted Power and about N18, 000 per month.