There are few things that are more interesting than the
topic of feminism in Nigeria. In a country with relatively high women abuse and
firm cultural doctrines. The same doctrines that have often been criticized in
being a huge foundation of the itemization of women.
However,
with globalization and modernization, the woman is now given an ample
opportunity to speak for herself and disagree from the enslaving laws that have
been twisted to shackle her. But the opportunity is one thing, the real
question is whether the society will let her seize the opportunity.
The
importance of women has been undermined, even though any normal man can give
you a firm anecdote on how important she is, the society as a whole will not
echo that chorus. It is like the individual and the society are two different
and alien entities.
An average
modern Nigerian woman is a mother, a worker, a housekeeper and so much more.
She has to juggle being all these and at the same time meet the demands that
the society has placed on her.
However, it
is not all Nigerian women that have seen their gender as an issue. Some have
said that it is a matter of psychology and perspective. One of these women is
Onene Osila Obele-Oshoko who was the first Executive Chairman of Rivers State
Board of Internal Revenue appointed in 2012.
Osila grew
up in Agbonchia Eleme as the first daughter in her family. She attended Port
Harcourt Primary School (one of the top schools in that time) and consequently
went to Federal Government College, Benin. She studied accounting in RSUST
(Rivers State University of Science and Technology) and came out to be the
first female chartered accountant in Eleme.
It wasn’t
that she faced no obstacles in her climb towards success; she confessed to me
that she had some family members that tried to talk her dad out of the idea of
going to school. But her father never budged. She said “It never got to me.”
She also went on to say that even while in school, there were discouragements
from her peers. People would say “Why are you wasting your time, why don’t you
get married?” But once you know what you want, all that talk is nothing but
noise.
She worked
in All States Trust Bank as her first official post-graduate job. Osila shared
a short story of her meeting with her future boss with a female friend of hers.
She said “While I was trying to tell the man my qualifications. My friend was
giving him some ‘physical suggestions’.” So, if she had misbehaved like her
friend did, and she met the man later on in life, her reputation will be
damaged. “It’s all about how you carry yourself. Women have this mentality that
you have to use your body to get what you want.”
Osila says
that even during work, the issue of gender didn’t serve as an obstacle. She
expressed in clear words “There is no gender in the payroll.” If there were
gender issues she says she never paid attention to it. “Everyone has a purpose,
you should focus on that.”
She
expressed that even if such blatant sexism is directed at her, she will not hesitate
to fight it. “There was a time I was in the airport. And I was on the line, and
this Hausa man came and tried to shunt the que. I stopped him and said ‘where
are you going?’ and he replied disdainfully ‘You’re even a woman.’ I raised my
hand to slap him…”
Pregnancy
also shouldn’t be an excuse not to work according to her. Osila while pregnant
for her baby went ahead to register in a hospital near the bank so she could
easily zig-zag her way from work to post-natal care. Taking a proper leave of
absence only when it was the right time to deliver her child. She breastfed her
baby for 18-22 months as is the norm. “Work hasn’t stopped me from raising a
child. I have to find a way to multitask.”
Osila says
that she lived in Lagos for 21 years before she was headhunted for her post in
the RIRS. “I don’t know how they found me. I worked in Afribank as the head of
Crediting Management before I was called.” She was referred by a superior who
had said that “She can get the job done.” Although she didn’t get along with
him because she was intolerant of anything not up to standard even from her
superiors.
“The cause
of many women not being able to thrive in the modern society can be blamed on
illiteracy and fear.”
 |
| Onene Osila Obele-Oshoko |
No comments:
Post a Comment