The maiden edition of the roundtable discussion, themed “FACT FINDING ON ISSUES AFFECTING THE GIRL-CHILD IN NIGERIA,” organized by forher Organization, was graced by the following personalities: Enwongo Cleopas, A lawyer and Human Right Advocate, Imaobong Akpan, A Socio-Political analyst, Iniobong Udoh, A Digital Skills Advocate & trainer, Aniebiet Francis, An actor, and movie producer, and Mmetomo Iniobong, the General Prefect, Redemption Academy.
The main objective of this event was to elaborate extensively on the issues affecting the girls in Nigeria from the standpoint of the different experiences of our guests about their work and individual sectors.
Imaobong Akpan, a political analyst, and advocate, debunked the myth about women’s involvement in politics over the years. Despite the recent evolution and development, many women would rather settle for mediocre positions than bid for top positions that would help spur the impact they desire to see. In most cases, this mediocrity can be traced back to unrealistic expectations from family & society. She emphasized the significant role parents have in the decision-making and choices of their daughters and how they should be discerning enough to support their vision.
The Nollywood actress Aniebiet Francis sadly expressed her displeasure about how female actors are regarded as prostitutes, especially women steadily advancing in their career paths. In one of her movies, “The final list,” which airs on Africa Magic, she shared that the idea behind this movie was stirred by real-life scenarios of marriage processes in many parts of Nigeria.
In her recommendations, she talks about the need to restructure the numerous back-dated policies that continue to oppress the dream of women in Nigeria and the need for women to understand that society would never give them what they truly deserve but rather what they ask for.
Enwongo Cleopas shared her motivating factors as a lawyer. One of such factors was that she opened a law firm mainly because many lawyers openly stated their decisions about not wanting to employ women as they feel they won’t give their 100%. In her words, “One even told me, if I asked you to travel to Lagos, you would have to obtain permission from your brother, father, husband, and the truth isn’t far-fetched here, but a man can easily decide to embark on a trip without getting questioned. This is a huge bias that works against women, she said.
Iniobong Uboh, the tech enthusiast, talks about her transition into Upwork. “Before venturing into tech, my parents had certain expectations from me, ranging from having a 9am–5pm job and working in a civil organization, marriage, and more. But I knew what I wanted, and I had to help them understand that respectfully “. Despite having it somewhat easy from my family, I know how intense the pressure of marriage and job acquisition is for other ladies, so I try not to use my challenges as a yardstick to measure the challenges other women face. Concerning her role in the Tech space, one of her main challenges was finding herself in a male-populated space, especially amongst the younger folks. Her advice to young girls and women is to acknowledge the place of an extra push, “Do the extra work and do it better.”
The final Speaker, Mmetomo, who happens to be the youngest amongst our guests, the General Prefect, Redemption Academy, shared her ordeal of being molested by a teacher she had high regard for. She explained how this stigma affected her mentally, academically, and otherwise, and how many teachers mainly blamed her for always fronting herself before the teacher. Mmetomo also emphasized how some parents see their daughters as investments where they sell them off in marriage at a young age. She recommended that parents should love and support their daughters at every stage of their life rather than sell them off into early marriage.
