The Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman, on Monday urged women in public office and leadership positions to assert their rights and resist intimidation, as she revealed that the Nigerian Ports Authority once operated a policy denying maternity leave to unmarried women.
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Bala-Usman, who spoke as a keynote speaker at the International Women’s Day celebration organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations at the National Counter Terrorism Centre in Abuja, said women must actively claim their space in leadership rather than wait to be accommodated.
She said, “We are equal stakeholders. You are not doing me a favour by letting me in. I’ve paid my dues. I’ve done what you likely haven’t even done. And I believe that I have the right to be in this space and I will pull my weight and ensure that you give it to me.
“Mr President used to tell us that leadership power is not served a la carte. It’s not served in a very nice environment. You go and collect it. My dad did not pay less school fees for me, and I remember being more outspoken than a lot of the boys. So I do not accept taking a backseat to a male, except if the male is better than me.
“Quite often, issues of gender, equity, and women’s empowerment are seen as a we-against-them term, but it is not. So you all should go and collect your director role, your deputy director role, write that exam and ensure they give you.”
Drawing from her experience as the first female Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Bala-Usman recounted confronting what she described as an outdated and discriminatory policy against single mothers.
“I remember when I worked at the Nigerian Ports Authority. They had a ridiculous policy that did not give women maternity leave if they were not married. And I found that so silly. What has childbearing got to do with your marital status?
“It’s not your marriage that keeps you up at night to breastfeed your child. It is the baby you gave birth to. So we have to abolish such archaic policies that do not make sense. These are policies that seek to reduce women under the control of a man, meaning that for you to be recognised as a mother in your workplace, you have to have a man to refer to as your husband.
“Bearing a child has nothing to do with marital status. It’s not marriage that gives a child that. So these are the little things that you may find in your organisation that you need to change,” she said.
Earlier, Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, underscored the central role of women in national development, warning that no society can progress beyond how it treats its women.
He said, “Because the truth is simple: No society rises above the value it places on its women. When women are empowered, families are strengthened and communities are stabilised. So, this is not about sentiment. This is about survival, progress, communication and the future of Nigeria.
“In Taraba State, we have made a conscious decision to ensure that women are not just present in governance, but are impactful within it. We have women serving in key leadership positions, contributing meaningfully to policy, development, and service delivery. And with that position comes responsibility.
“They are not symbolic appointments, they are performing leaders. Because when young girls see women lead, they begin to believe that leadership is possible. I challenge you to project women as leaders not just participants. Create platforms for women to speak, not just be spoken about. Normalise women in authority, not sensationalise it because this is not charity. This is not a favour. It is a strategy.”
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