David Williams
Renowned legal luminary and former Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has made a strong case for gender balance in governance, urging Nigeria and other nations to deliberately promote women into critical positions of leadership across sectors.
Speaking on the role of women in nation-building, Olanipekun emphasized that leadership is not the exclusive preserve of men, arguing that women have demonstrated remarkable competence and character in leadership from biblical times to modern democracies.
Olanipekun made this remark on Monday in Ado-Ekiti while delivering the 13th Convocation Lecture of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) titled: “Nigeria-Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Imperative Of A Sober And Infinitive Recalibration”
The respected jurist maintained that Nigeria must consciously and courteously promote women into leadership positions, asserting that their empathy, sensitivity, and nurturing nature would contribute immensely to national development.
According to him, the era when leadership was viewed as a male preserve is fast fading and societies that fail to harness the intellectual and moral strengths of women risk stagnation.
While commending women for their growing dominance in the legal and medical professions, Olanipekun urged them to aim higher than ceremonial positions.
His words, “In the beginning, God created man and woman and placed them in the Garden of Eden. While the Bible affirms that the woman was to be a helpmate to the man, it does not forbid her from aspiring to leadership.
“With their kind and tender touch, sensitive motherly mien, empathetic and sympathetic disposition, and natural capacity to nurture, women will bring about a better Nigeria whether in the academia, private sector, administration, politics, or governance.
“My admonition to the women is that they should stop thinking that the highest aspiration is to be First Ladies. They should aspire and strive to be First Citizens, and let the men, their husbands, find titles for themselves maybe First Gentleman”.
