Being a speech delivered by Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as guest speaker during the investiture of Barrister Laide Osijo, FCIB as first female president of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers at Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos recently.LET me begin my talk here today with these two quotes:''Because I am a woman, I must make unusual effort to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, 'She doesn't have what it takes. They will say, 'Women don't have what it takes' ' Clare Boothe Luce'There is no tool for development more effective than empowerment of women''- Kofi AnnanTHE first quote reflects the deep-seated prejudice against women that persists in most societies. The second recognises the critical role of women as agents of development. To continue to contribute effectively to development, women must have confidence and good self-esteem. We must have a sense of purpose and a commitment to adding positive value to society.Having said that let me start by saying it gives me great pleasure to be here in the midst of great men and women of character and grace.In particular, I congratulate the women of professional distinction here who have exploded the myth about women not being able to measure up to men. The motto of your association 'Professionalism, Service and Integrity' is most inspiring. It reflects those values we need to succeed as individuals, families, communities and as a nation. As women, we need integrity and the spirit of service in our different work places and even in the homes as professional housewives to enable us excel and impact our societies for good.Throughout history, women have always bonded together and risen above often-insurmountable obstacles. Global political history is replete with great women who made great sacrifices and altered the course of events.Indeed your recent collective decision and democratic choice of Barrister Laide Osijo, FCIB to lead this association reflects this trend. Today is a significant day for you all, your organization and for women folk in Nigeria. It is not just because you made a landmark decision in your association's 50 years history by electing her as the first female president; the fact that you acknowledge that she has more than fulfilled the critical test of professional competence equally matters. Through your action today, you have recognised the dedication and precision skills e Osijo brings to the work you do. She offers an inspiring example of how Nigerian women can be role models of excellence. She is shining the light to enable other women find the path to achieving their potentials and fulfilling their purpose.The NCRIB is today signposting a new era for Nigerian women: An era that rejects stereotypes about women. You are joining such distinguished professional associations like the NBA and ICAN, which accomplished women have been opportuned to lead.Gradually, others in our society will take notice and emulate your association in appreciating the importance of giving credit and honour to those whom such is due, irrespective of gender differences. More importantly, they would recognize that we have here a group of women who have stepped up their game and are not afraid to tread where the men hitherto dominated.I have been mandated to speak on the subject of 'Women in the Professions'' and I shall be doing so, not just as an advocate for equal right and fairness but also as an advocate for merit and competenceServices undertaken by insurance brokers and others complement various economic or commercial activities by protecting individuals and business against risk. In discharging responsibilities associated with your profession, professional excellence and integrity must be the watchwords for all insurance brokers, irrespective of factors such as gender or geographical disparities.That we have women in professional fields such as yours is not an accident. Over the decades an unannounced movement, often referred to as ''Women liberation'' began the world over. The movement, though unscripted caught up with women in both developing and developed worlds. Nigeria was not an exception. The agenda was simple and precise; women must begin to assert and empower themselves through education, training, economic activities and exercising knowledge about their productive rights. While in Nigeria the gains have been modest, we have seen greater progress elsewhere.In Nigerian parliament today, women are in the minority both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives. There is no single female governor although we have about three deputy governors and that is about it. But women have also made major roads with a few female bank MDs and CEOs in the private sector. The new Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonji-Iweala, CFR is sure pulling her weight. It is a female that sits atop of the nations Federal Inland Revenue Service while another leads the anti-corruption war. Great strides no doubt, but what are these individual success stories worth if they are not invested in the collective' I will return to that shortly.In post War Rwanda, we see the beacon of a new era for women empowerment. In 2003, after a civil war that riveted the world with gory sights and details of man's inhumanity to man, the transitional government passed legislation required that a third of the seats in Parliament be held by women. As we speak today, Rwanda has a parliament dominated 50 percent by women, Rwanda is a country now on the fast track to recovery.According to a Cambridge University study in Britain, as at 2010 women outnumbered men in the most high status professions after a 'quiet revolution in the workplace'. The report claims that there are now more female lawyers, doctors and architects than their male counterparts in Britain because of better education and a decline in the overall number of menial jobs. According to Dr. Robert Blackburn, Emeritus Reader in Sociology and Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, 'There was not always this advantage to women; it is part of a significant change in industrialised societies in the last 50 years'. Dr. Blackburn said part of the change boils down to the fact that women are more likely to go on to University now than in previous generations.These examples look like exceptions that are being replicated in different places though on smaller scales. Nevertheless, a new, silent and non-violent revolutionary takeover of men-dominated professions is taking place. It is a trend we want to see continue and if need be, adopt the attitude of Roseanne Barr, a leading female advocate who asserts thus, 'The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it'.I must return to the Nigerian situation. I am sure that most of you are aware that out of the 109 seats in the Nigerian Senate today, women occupy only seven seats. The trend whereby women are discriminated against because of gender or relegated to the background and made to play second fiddle is visible at all levels of governance. Newsweek magazine's 2011 Global Women Progress Report revealed that in the developing world, women lag behind in pay and political power. The report gives Nigeria an overall score of 29.9 per cent after taking into consideration issues like access to justice for women, share of women in politics, access to education and health and percentage of women in the labour force. It is clear that Nigeria still has quite some way to go in empowering women.Equally, from all indications there is cause for all of us irrespective of gender differences, classes and creed, to embrace an attitude that fosters fairness and the possibilities of seeing qualified females in positions they truly deserve in the workplace. While some professional bodies like those in the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers have demonstrated a genuine eagerness to embrace capability without gender discrimination, young women in various career fields need to rise to the occasion.Women, who are fortunate to rise to positions of power, influence or wealth must invest such in the commonwealth of women. Rather than join the 'men's club', they must reach out and pull other women along. From the girl-child to that young struggling graduate, that lady professional in between jobs, that woman who has to joggle domestic and professional duties and the woman out there who badly needs just one opportunity to prove that she is capable, truly need our help. In little or big doses, it does not matter, just do it. Because out there are women who can and will succeed on merit if given the chance.Few weeks ago, when I launched my constituency project, the Post-Secondary School Scholarship Scheme (PSSS) which aims to build on the success of other previous initiatives including the Annual Spelling Bee Competition, the One-Day Governor Programme and the New Era Foundation's multi-dimensional youth development programme, someone asked whether some particular percentage will be reserved for females. My response was that the selection of 650 beneficiaries for both the N100,000 four-year annual scholarships and the N10,000 bursary awards would be strictly based on merit. As a trained teacher who believes in merit, I am confident that there are female and male high-performers who can make our nation proud.Capabilities notwithstanding, observations in our society as well as objective studies in developed economies indicate that women who succeed in male-dominated careers have some peculiar challenges that we all need to help address. As people who have succeeded in changing and overcoming some stereotyped norms, they are often seen negatively. A review of studies published in the journal of Applied Psychology (vol. 89, No. 3) affirms that women in traditionally male-dominated field face a difficult hurdle; if they succeed, their co-workers, both male and female, may unfairly see them as unsociable and difficult people to work with.Yet in the 21st century, women are gaining grounds in every profession. Even though women still hold relatively smaller percentage of jobs and positions than their male counterparts in certain fields, there are indications that more and more women are proving that in spite of individual and societal challenges, career success in a male-dominated field is possible.
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