Nigeria’s first lady, Aisha Buhari, on Tuesday joined participants at a seafarers conference to call for more women participation in the maritime sector......
Mrs Buhari, who was represented by the wife of the vice president, Dolapo Osinbajo, spoke at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) celebration of the Day of the Seafarer, 2019, in Lagos.
The event was themed “On board with gender equality.”
According to a statement to newsmen, Mrs Buhari said she was delighted to be part of the celebration because of the theme, which is centered on gender equality and the empowerment of women in the maritime industry.
She said the 2019 day of Seafarers provides an opportunity for government, ship-owners and other maritime stakeholders to encourage the participation of women in the maritime sector.
Mrs Buhari called on government agencies most especially those in the maritime sector to ensure the achievement of the United Nation’s sustainable development goal.
Speaking at the event, the managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Usman, also commended NIMASA for initiating the theme at a time the first lady is calling for an increase in women participation in the Nations’ Maritime Sector.
She said with the programme in place, NIMASA is striving to ensure a gender equality balance in the nation’s maritime Industry.
Mrs Usman, who was represented by the Executive Director, Marine and Operations of the Authority, Sekonte Davis, said that gender imbalance in the labour market is a global problem.
“The worst example of this phenomenon exists in the Maritime Community where records from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) indicates that a disheartening 2 per cent of the workforce are women,” she said.
Mrs Usman also said part of the challenges are due to traditional and religious practices which exclude women from certain career opportunities.
She said, “We should go past these sentiments and give our citizens irrespective of gender the best opportunities that life offers them”.
Mrs Usman encouraged young girls to take an interest in Science, Technology subjects to enable them pursue careers in Shipping Marine and Operations.
She told Seafarers that NPA now grants women maternity leave 16 weeks as against 12 weeks while nursing mothers are also allowed to report to duty one hour after official resumption time and closes one hour before closing as part of encouraging Women.
“NPA has also commissioned a CrĆØche Facility for nursing mothers. We must constantly remind ourselves that women matter and that when we build women, we build humanity,” she said.
In his remark, the Director-General, Peterside Dakuku, reiterated the fact that women are of paramount importance to the maritime sector.
Mr Dakuku said the agency will put in place sustainable policies that will guarantee equal and fair employment opportunities for both male and female seafarers while assuring that they will continue to pursue policies and programmes on Gender Equality and Empowerment of women in the maritime sector.
The Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello, said Gender Equality provides employment and also promotes the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He also pointed out that it is important to create an enabling environment for women to thrive in seafaring profession, which include the guaranty of adequate information, pay equality, and the prohibition of sexual harassment.
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