The Former First Lady of Ondo State, Dr Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, urged women to be more courageous, lauding the boldness of the Senator representing Kogi Central in the National Assembly, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Anyanwu-Akeredolu made the call at the event organised by the foundation to mark the 2025 International Women’s Day (IWD) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

While speaking on the theme of the event “Accelerated Action”, the former first lady emphasised on the need to do more to elect more courageous women into the state and national assemblies.

Anyanwu-Akeredolu, who is the Founder, BEMORE Empowered Girls Foundation, said the recent happening at the National Assembly had caused her displeasure and pain because there were only four women there and one of them was suspended.

She said: “To state that I’m disappointed is putting it mildly. ‘E dey pain me o’!

“Senator Natasha represents Kogi Central but for the fact that she is a woman and icing it with courage, her constituency has been enlarged to include all Nigerian women.

“I say this because to a Nigerian man, a woman is woman, regardless of her profile or social status.

“I can’t count how many times that low lifers and cyberbullies had told me that “I have your type (wife) in my house”

“Consequently, it would not be out of place to expect Senator Natasha to represent and protect the interests of all of us given the chequered history of subjugation and marginalisation of women within the Nigerian system,” Anyanwu-Akeredolu said.

She said what hurts her most was that in a Senate where female senators are terribly outnumbered; four females to 105 males, the other three women joined the men to suspend their own.

“What were they thinking? What exactly was their message to Nigerian women especially the younger generation?

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“If this is not the preservation of patriarchy by the oppressed – women themselves, tell me what it is,” she said.

According to her, it is evident that Nigerian women have not yet arrived. Although the journey of emancipation has started, but there is still a long way to go.

She said the theme of the 2025 IWD Accelerate Action has become relevant adding that it serve as a wake up call to action to set short and long-term strategies toward gender parity.

“For the short term, we need to elect courageous women to represent us in the state and national assemblies.

“For the long term, there is an urgent to create forums or environment such as BEMORE Summer Bootcamp organised annually by BEMORE Empowered Girls Foundation.

“This is where young girls are exposed to the practicality of girls advancement not the tokenism by governments witnessed over the years.

“Two things that can transform a young girl into a leader are knowing her self-worth and discovering that she can do ‘stuff’ to being productive,” Anyanwu-Akeredolu said.

She said being productive eliminates dependency which is largely responsible for the imbalance of power between men and women.

“As young women become more educated and with the right career choices made to attain financial stability, the future may likely become brighter than today. So, let’s get to work now!” Anyanwu-Akeredolu said.

The Chief Executive Officer of De’rayo Vocational Limited, Mrs. Aminat Animashaun, who was the keynote speaker, charged those in attendance to be dream big, be focused, have patience, and remain determined.