Former representative of Edo South Senatorial district at the Upper chamber, Senator Daisy Danjuma has urged Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki to incorporate more women into his government to enable them make positive impact and enhance good governance.
Senator Daisy Danjuma said most developed and developing nations which appoint more women into their cabinets, progress and advance more than countries, which did not appoint women into their administration.
Senator Daisy Danjuma made the appeal for women inclusion in Benin City, at the commissioning of the Senator Daisy Ehanire Danjuma Women Centre, named after her by the governor, in recognition of her contributions to women and youths development in Edo State, and Nigeria.
She said, if she was not given a chance to serve and impact women and youths, which led to the building of the centre, people would not have known the potential, ideas and initiatives imbedded in her that she applied to affect the lives of women.
Her words: “In thanking the state government, his wife and all that put this Centre together, and naming of the Centre for the rehabilitation of vulnerable victims of human trafficking and irregular migration after me, and for building this wonderful project, I will like to make a few remarks to Mr. Governor.
“You are honouring me today as a woman that had represented her constituency very well.
“I want you to involve more women in your government. I want you to make sure women are in excess in your government. It is because I was elected as a woman that is why you realize my capacity. Many women can do much better if they are given the opportunity, even when we are married to a foreigner or outsider.
“When I wanted to contest again, my people said, ‘Go, you that is married to foreigner in Taraba State. And I told them, I will not lose in the land of the foreigner. You can see that despite that I married somebody from Taraba State, you can see the impact I have created positively in the society. What a man can do, a woman can do it far better.
“When you train a woman, you train a nation. Please encourage women, we make a lot of impact in the society. If you notice, all over the world, even in Africa, countries that are progressing have women in high key leadership positions.
“No country can progress in the world without women in the key positions of government. You love your mother and for that reason you will love your wife or wives and your daughter. Please, make sure women are not discriminated against. They should be given the opportunity to prove themselves. I have proved myself that is why I am here.”
Expatiating Danjuma said, “You can see what the vice chancellor of Uniben is doing. She had transformed the institution within a few years in office. She came to meet my husband, and said, ‘Please build hostel for women’. I told my husband, do it for women. I studied for a Ph.D in Uniben, and the University of Benin gave me Ph.D free of charge. When I came back to Uniben and saw the quality of work Prof. Lillian Salami did in a few months. I said to myself, if it is a man he would not have done it,” she stressed.
Responding, Governor Obaseki in his address, said when he will be constituting the next State House of Assembly seats, more positions will be given to women.
He described Senator Daisy Danjuma as a role model that every Edo woman and girl should emulate because of her good track record.
Said he:“I join in welcoming all of you seated here today, to the opening of Senator (Dr.) Daisy Danjuma Victims of Rehabilitation for Human Trafficking Centre. I think it is vital to do this so that our children cannot come in future to ask, who is this woman from the North?
“When we came into power, we met a generation of youths who feel that they can travel anywhere in the world for survival. At one point in time, over 30,000 Edo boys and girls were trying to cross the Red Sea, after passing through the desert, into Libya.
“Many of them end up in dangerous trips, and many have lost their lives in a bid to cross the Sahara desert. We realized that to improve on it, we must do something quickly, which we saw that served as a threat to our social economic stability in Edo State.
“Travelling away from the state are women, youths especially, girls who have lost sense of worth, pride and the ability to do something good. This bad trend has grown so big that, it was said majority of those girls doing sexual trade abroad are from the state. Thank God the ugly trend had been changed.
“This Senator Daisy Ehanire Danjuma Women Centre is a key part in the series of complete steps and actions, which we, as a government, have taken to salvage the future of the vulnerable persons, particularly, the women and youths. The centre has a shelter for female victims who are rescued from irregular migration.
“Why are we celebrating Senator Daisy Danjuma? We have in her, the nature, symbol and culture of an Edo woman.
“She is a very caring, lovely, industrious and everything that makes her an Edo woman. She is really a role model. We want to assure you that, as for me, I recognize the role of women. So I grew up to understand that women are good in power. I will make sure my House of Assembly, when constituted, more women will dominate it.
“If I had women in the last administration, the bad situation that occurred previously would not have happened. This is a fight that we all collectively must fight. I said it when we were screening recent candidates for an election that in any constituency where they have two seats, one should be reserved for women,” the governor stated.
First lady of the state, Mrs Betsy Obaseki in her remark, thanked all the stakeholders who made it possible for the centre to come into reality and commended the foreign donors for their support.
