By Akanimo Sampson
Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) is agog with joy for women of the world as they mark this year’s International Women’s Day, and also explains why it created the women wing of the professional body.
NITP National President and Fellow of the Institute, Olutoyin Ayinde, said in statement celebrating women for the Day that the Association of Women in Town Planning was created in recognition of the importance of women and their leadership of the NITP.
According to him the women wing is a platform meant for female town planners to express and carve a niche for their selves and for the profession.
‘’NITP felicitates with our women in town planning as they celebrate the International Women’s Day. We believe in our women and their ability to share equal contribution to leadership in the COVID-19 and post COVID-19
‘’As an organisation, we have had women of exceptional standing who have occupied leadership offices and have excelled at their various assignments. Such women include, C. K. George, first female Chairman of a State Chapter of the Institute and pioneer female consultant Town Planner, Naomi Galadimawa, Jummai Kwanashie and Morenike Babalola who have shown that women could be excellent planning administrators.
‘’In academics, the Institute has had invaluable contributions fromfemale planners like Joy Ogbazi, Opuenebo Owei, Immaculata Nwokoro, Taibat Lawanson, Kate Uloko, Laraba Rikko and Faith Ekong. We stand with our women and appreciate all their efforts’’, he said.
Continuing, he said today is another opportunity ‘’we have to celebrate women of the world. Women in the history of humanity have played very significant roles, some of which have marked important turning points in the development of human society.
‘’In recent times, women have taken leadership of many initiatives that have brought progress our way, and barely a week ago, the world had its first woman Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), our own Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonji-Iweala, proving that women are indeed effective leaders. That probably makes apt the theme for this year’s celebration.
‘’The world stands today to celebrate women for their various roles, but we look at them within the context of contributions they have made in leadership and to look forward to achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.
‘’The whole world was shaken by the effects of the pandemic, which offered no notice until it took the world by surprise, taking in its path lots of lives that have been lost to the pandemic. One of the women who demonstrated remarkable passion and generosity during the COVID-19 pandemic siege is the Minister of State of the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Mrs. Ramatu Tijjani-Aliyu, a Town Planner and Envoy Extraordinaire of the NITP.
‘’Women ought to be appreciated for the role they played, when the pandemic was severe, in their various families, health institutions and work places. Caring comes naturally to women and the world has benefited from their nature to soften the effect of the pandemic, which could have been more devastating without them. It is probably the reason why Jacinda Ardern, a woman and the Prime Minister of Zealand, has stood out as the most remarkable of world’s leaders to have effectively tackled the COVID-19 pandemic in a way that won the hearts of her people and also put her at an advantage for a reelection.
‘’On behalf of NITP, I congratulate our women and wish you successful celebrations.’’
