INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY #ChooseToChallenge

The 8th of March every year is set aside to celebrate the International Women’s Day. Organizations, governments, charities, educational institutions, women’s groups and the media organize events globally to mark this day and commit to upholding achievements on gender equality, women’s rights and empowerment.

This year, we all are joining the world to amplify voice and advocate for gender equality while promoting women’s rights in Nigeria, Africa and all over the world.This year’s theme #ChooseToChallenge comes with the idea that a challenged world is an alert world and individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions.

This year’s International Women’s Day comes on the heels of unprecedented global advocacy for women’s rights, education, equality and justice. Poverty, sexual harassment, violence and discrimination against women continue to engage public discourse, propelled by a rising determination for change. These factors are also well-recognised drivers of the HIV epidemic in our young women. 

This year’s theme provides an opportunity to transform this momentum into action, to empower women in all settings, rural and urban, and celebrate the activists who are working relentlessly to claim women’s rights and realize their full potential. This strategy is equally important in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of leaving no one behind.

This theme provides an opportunity to gather momentum and voices for women and empower them as agents of national and international change regardless of settings (rural or urban). Educaremagazine is using this opportunity to identify and celebrate notable women in education, who has along the years stayed resilient against all odds to ensure that education remains a gender inclusive sector. And to help other growing women discover their potentials.

We use this Opportunity to identify and celebrate some top Women who contributed to Nigeria during the Pandemic Year

• Sadiya Umar Farouk is a Nigerian politician and the current minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development. Appointed by President  Muhammadu Buhari in July 2019, Farouk is by age the youngest minister in the current federal cabinet. Her relationship with President Buhari dates back to Buhari’s days as the leader and presidential candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change when Farouk was the national treasurer of CPC and later national treasurer of the All Progressives Congress

• Aisha Yesufu  is a Nigerian socio-political activist, and co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls Movement, an advocacy group that brings attention to the abduction of over 200 girls, from a secondary school in Chibok, Nigeria, on 14 April 2014, by the terrorist group Boko Haram.

• Uyaiedu Ikpe-Etim is a Nigerian film producer, screenwriter and filmmaker, who creates works which tell the stories of Nigeria’s marginalised LGBTQ communities. In 2020 the BBC included her in its list of the 100 Women of the Year.

• Okonjo Iweala is a Nigerian-American economist and international development expert who has served since March 1, 2021 as Director-General of the World Trade Organization. She is the first woman and the first African to hold the office. She sits on the boards of Standard Chartered Bank, Twitter, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, and the African Risk Capacity

• Obiageli Ezekwesili is a Public Analyst/Senior Economic Advisor, AEDPI, Nigerian chartered accountant from Anambra state. She was a co-founder of Transparency International, serving as one of the pioneer directors of the global anti-corruption body based in Berlin, Germany. She served as Federal Minister of Solid Minerals and later as Federal Minister of Education during the second-term presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo. Ezekwesili was a 2018 nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in transparency in the extractive sector.

• Folorunso Alakija is a Nigerian billionaire businesswoman. She is involved in the fashion, oil, real estate and printing industries. She is the group managing director of The Rose of Sharon Group which consists of The Rose of Sharon Prints & Promotions Limited, Digital Reality Prints Limited and the executive vice-chairman of Famfa Oil Limited.

• Tara Fela-Durotoye is a Nigerian-born lawyer turned Africa’s leading beauty and makeup entrepreneur. She started House of Tara at the age of 20, from her living room, whilst an
  undergraduate at university back in 1998. She’s since gone on to launch Nigeria’s first ever bridal directory in 1999, and in 2004 she opened the country’s leading beauty academy. Today, Tara has over 3,000 reps spread across Nigeria and 14 stores to her name and she is steadfastly dedicated to realising her vision of building a globally respected beauty company of African origin. Tara remains an inspirational role-model and mentor to make-up artists and aspiring beauty business owners across Africa.

• Olajumoke Adenowo is an architect by profession. She is also an entrepreneur and philanthropist, a public speaker, radio host and author. CNN described her as “Africa’s Starchitect” and The Guardian (Nigeria) has described her as “the face of Architecture in Nigeria”. In 2018 she was recognised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as one of the inspirational women in architecture today.

• Dr. Mrs. Orie Vann She has over 20 years experience in HR Resources, Administration and Research. She is a member of the Nigeria Institute of Management (MNIM), Certified Pometric Testing Administrator. She has constantly and proactively participated in people development, improvement of business development, Organizational Culture and Development; Corporate communication; Cross cultural communication; and Customer Service Training. She is the COO of Natafamdavid Consulting and Educare Magazine.