By Tina AmandaThe Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) have been encouraged women to get actively involved in policymaking and leadership roles in all spheres of life.
Port Harcourt Zonal Chairman of PENGASSAN, Comrade Peter Onita, made the call during the maiden Women in PENGASSAN Zonal Workshop, with the theme: “Empowering Women for Resilient Recovery in Post Covid-19 Era.”
Onita expressed the need for organisations to incorporate the opinions of women and other social strata to formulate policies that will benefit the majority.
“For us as PENGASSAN, what we have done is to follow suit in line with the acceptable standard in the world, so we want to use this medium to encourage women, especially those in the oil sector, to participate in leadership and everything that will bring out the best in them.
“It is unfortunate that in this part of the world, women have not been given their rightful place. We want to play our role in making sure that women, starting from PENGASSAN, are being encouraged to participate in leadership.
“We are sure that when they start from PENGASSAN, they will be able to move into the communities and put in their various contributions. Women should stand up and take their place in society, gone are the era’s when Leadership positions are given to only men; women must participate fully in anything we are doing to play their role and am optimistic that the more women we have in key position, the more contributions they will make to the development of the nation.
“In her remarks, President and Global Convener, Entrepreneurs Platform Initiative, Dr Mercy Abu, urged women to break out from all forms of barriers limiting them to explore and put their full potential to use.
“Women have been conditioned by the society, we are comfortable following not leading, we are comfortable being told what to do, once a woman wants to break out from such chains people would start asking what is wrong with her. We have too many barriers set by ourselves, society and society expectations.
“You need to know whom you are as a woman, that personal conviction that as a woman you are good enough, I do not need anyone’s affirmation, validation, am okay as I am as a woman because I have developed myself, am ready to take up the task and give in my best.
“Also speaking at the event, the Chairperson of the Port Harcourt Zone Women in PENGASSAN, Comrade Ure Orikoha, charged women to become active participants in politics and unionism to contribute to the vibrancy of the Nigerian economy.
“We have observed that women generally do not like participating in politics or union matters. With this kind of workshop, it will create that familiarity to eliminate the fear women have about unionism and politics.
“We have seen women who through Union activities get themselves involved in general politics and they are doing far better than the man. We are creating this forum for women to come together, collaborate with other authority bodies and make their impact in the world at large; knowledge is power when women are well-informed, things turn around for good.
“We need to support ourselves as women to occupy better positions, when we women are large in number they can not be intimated. When women speak in one voice, things change positively, our gender is indeed our strength, women are fearless in decision making. Let’s leverage the God giving power in us to cause a better change in a leadership position.”
