Women workers in all Nigerian universities who are members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) have begun plans to take over the leadership of the union.

Briefing journalists on the sideline of 8th SSANU National Women Conference in Abuja on Thursday, the former national women leader of the association, Barr. Hadiza Kabiru, disclosed that women in the union are already being empowered to take up the future leadership challenges.

Kabiru specifically said apart from equipping them with different digital skills, they are also being empowered with public and logical reasoning skills that will make them stand out among equals.

“We’re not competing with men in terms of positions. What I am saying is that both men and women contribute equally when it comes to financial obligations in the union. So, women should be courageous enough to take up the up-front leadership position.

“Most of the times, you know, in the union, women are seeing as people that were supposed to operate from the back. Women should feel free to aspire to take the leadership of the union. Not that you will be given peanuts or women’s commission.

“Left to me, there wouldn’t have been even the women’s commission. Come out with the resources you have up upstairs, your enthusiasm to serve selflessly, because in union, we are not political. It’s service to humanity,” she said.

Similarly, the National Women Coordinator of SSANU, Mrs Agnes Nti, explained that one of the key outcomes anticipated from the conference is robust support from branch chairpersons for their respective branch women coordinators.

She said that the support was expected to manifest through the facilitation of branch programmes on an annual basis and the replication of the conference’s objectives within local zones and branches.

On his part, the National President of SSANU, Mohammad Ibrahim, expressed strong support for increasing female representation in union leadership roles, stressing that women play critical roles within the union.

The union leaders noted that their contributions to mobilisation, welfare and the overall well-being of members are always top-notch.

According to him, women’s skills in organising and their ability to provide essential services, including medical advice and the domestication of union laws to enhance productivity cannot be overemphasized, while expressing a positive outlook on the possibility of a woman succeeding him as president. (Daily Trust)

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