As a career driven female professional in a Nigerian society, gender discrimination and inequality is perceived to be cantankerous worm that is determined to persevere even in a world were archaic role and capability of women in the society has been proven to be arrant nonsense globally. The importance of women participation in leadership roles cannot be over emphasized and the impact of lack of women representation in Nigeria is evident in a society still yet to catch-up with the modern world were female Presidents, Prime Ministers, Heads of State and leaders break barriers and achieve great feats in leaps and bounds. Just recently, on Wednesday, 23rd of March, 2022, Nigerian Women staged a protest at the National Assembly after five (5) bills concerning women advancement, representation and inclusiveness in politics and governance were all rejected. This is the Nigeria we live in and it clearly shows we’ve got a long way to go however, everyday countless number of women in Nigeria have refused to have their light dimmed in a gender biased society and have continued to hold sway against all odds. There are so many examples of women accomplishing great task with enviable mental, business, and financial acumen. Just in our organization alone, the appointment of the first female Managing Director of NPA Hadiza Bala Usman, one of the founders of the ‘#BringBackOurGirls’ initiative proved to doubters that a female can provide effective leadership even to an organization like NPA which is regarded as the Gateway to the nation’s economy and a Critical National Assets and Infrastructure (CNAI). The current Port Manager of Lagos Port Complex (LPC), B. Olufunmilayo Olotu has won several awards and recommendations as best performing Port Manager while serving as the Port Manager, Calabar Port, and since her redeployment to LPC in 2019. LPC is also the largest and primary port, hence the efficiency the Port head is paramount for its commercial success. Several women in leaderships roles or as Heads of Departments has also out performed their male counterpart in the organization.
There are many professions that are male gender dominated, which is a form of occupational segregation or sorting. This is particularly predominant in law enforcement professions. The NPA Security Department has never had a female General Manager or an Assistant General Manager, and so far, has had just two (2) Port Security Officers (PSOs); F. D. Abiiba, former PSO TCIP and N. B. Ayika Gloria, PSO Federal Lighter Terminal (FLT).
Based on personnel experience, female security personnel are often relegated to passive roles and tasks and the occasional rather distasteful joke of “being there for officer’s comfort”. However, in order to break free from the stereotypical role, there must be applied extra effort, determination, intelligence, an analytical mind, academic excellence, proactiveness and the ability to work under pressure with little or no supervision in order to compete favourably. To compete favourably, it is also advisable for women to seek knowledge beyond immediate job responsibilities so as to develop professionally for better exposure and greater marketability, bigger responsibilities and growth, as well as general self-improvement and to acquire new knowledge to impact positively not only as an employee in NPA, but the Nigerian maritime industry in the light to provide quality service and impact. This is a role I’ve given myself and I challenge myself every day to strive to embody these qualities.
