Foluke Sijuwola Falayi
Women should not only be celebrated on March 8, but every day. Women should not be heard only on the eighth day of March, but daily. After all, it’s the women that make the world sweet, we are the salt of the earth. We bring sanity and orderliness to the world.
On this day and every day, I celebrate every woman: the women who started the movement in New York in 1908, the women who protested in Europe in 1911, the women in Russia, who celebrated and it took a new turn and became what it is today.
I celebrate women in Nigeria and Africa who at one point in time stood and pressed for the rights of women. I celebrate the accomplished women, upcoming women and women who are just finding their feet. I celebrate you, my dear ladies.
The theme of this year’s international Women’s Day, “Gender Equality Today for Sustainable Tomorrow”, underlines the fact that women have been stereotyped for so long all over the world. We have been typecast because of our gender. We faced many problems in the past, such as not being able to vote, having a lower wage compared to the male counterparts, sexual harassment and many more. Some of these things are now things of the past because some women said no to them.
On the anniversary of International Women’s Day, we say no discrimination of any type. There must be right to education for the girl-child everywhere in the world. Women must not be denied jobs because of their gender or, say, due to pregnancies. The women rights’ enhancement bill must be signed. Women must be respected. There must be no gender violence and no rape. There must be gender equality.
I implore women to arise and support other women in politics. I plead for women unity. To every woman out there, let your impact be felt at home, in your family, work place, community, society, the nation and the world at large.
Remember, some group of women demanded what we are having today. Do not keep quiet my dear women – until we have all our requests.
Happy women’s Day.
