By Chioma Obinagwam
Monday, March 8, 2021 was International Women’s Day celebration. A day sanctioned by the United Nations to celebrate the achievements of women and improve the lot of women in the society.
The history of International Women’s Day stretches back more than 100 years, when the day was first observed across Europe and America. But according to NPR, it wasn’t until March 8, 1946, that feminists in Italy chose the mimosa flower as a symbol of strength, sensibility and sensitivity for Women’s Day.
Similarly, Sunday, March 14, 2021 was celebrated as Mother’s day.
However, according to Wikipedia, It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May.
It is in commemoration of the significance of women in our lives that Confiance News put together this piece.
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is number one on our list. She made history on March 1, 2021 when she became the first woman and first African to become the Director General (DG) of World Trade Organisation (WTO).
She also served twice as served twice as Nigeria’s Finance Minister, from 2003-2006, 2011-2015.
She chairs the Board of Gavi, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation. Since its creation in 2000, Gavi has immunised 580 million children globally and saved 8 million lives.
One of her popular quotes is, “I want to bring a fresh pair of eyes and ears to WTO.”
According to Wikipedia, Aisha Yesufu is a Nigerian socio-political activist, and co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls Movement, an advocacy group that brings attention to the abduction of over 200 girls, from a secondary school in Chibok, Nigeria, on 14 April 2014, by the terrorist group Boko Haram.
She also played a major role in the #EndSARS movement. A movement which draws attention to the excesses of a controversial police unit in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), called the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS)- notorious for its high-handedness.
One of her popular quotes is “What I am never ready to lose is my worth, dignity, integrity, and character. If I lose everything and have to sell pure water, I will carry it on my head with dignity, and character intact.”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is Nigerian writer whose works, according to Wikipedia, range from novels to short stories to nonfiction. She was described in The Times Literary Supplement as “the most prominent” of a “procession of critically acclaimed young anglophone authors [which] is succeeding in attracting a new generation of readers to African literature”, particularly in her second home, the United States.
One of her popular quotes is, “The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognising how we are.”
Saadat Aliyu, a Kano-born young lady, is the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shamrock Innovations, a women and youth centric innovation Hub in kano.
She also developed an android application ‘Helpio App’ for reporting cases of sexual abuse. The App was launched on August 6, 2020, on Google Playstore.
One of her popular quotes is, “I believe Women and youth should be given opportunity to be innovative and creative.”
Born on November 1 in Lagos, Nigeria, Rinu Oduala, is a popular brand influencer, media strategist and human right activist.
She was at the forefront of the EndSARS and End Bad Governance movements. She also served as one of the youth representatives at the Lagos State Judicial Panel on Police Brutality.
One of her popular tweets is, “I might be one woman, but there is so much I can do, outside of this cycle of hand wringing and lies, and I refuse to be manipulated into gaslighting the people and attaching my name to a rubberstamped and foregone conclusion.
“Justice has not been served, and as a representative of the Nigerian citizenry, my only recourse is to stay the course of justice.”
