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| Hon. Oke-Aare Aina (JEGA) |
Hon. Oke-Aare Aina, a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the Oluyole Local Government has celebrated women on the occasion of the International Women's Day themed ‘Accelerate Action’. Oke-Aare Aina used the celebration of women to speak on the sexual harassment saga between Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.
Hon. Oke-Aare Aina advised women to stop using sexual harassment as a tool to get back at men. She asserted that women should speak out whenever they experienced any form of sexual abuse, not waiting for a time when things would go sour before speaking up.
JEGA, as fondly called by politicians, friends, and lovers, felicitated women on the International Women's Day which was commemorated yesterday. She joined the host of people in the world who craved gender equality. The compelling campaign theme for this year's International Women's Day was Accelerate Action, a concept established to emphasise the immediacy of ensuring the fastness and efficient strides to attain gender equality globally.
“Today, I celebrate the resiience, brilliance, and strength of women across the world and most especially our cooks who deems it fit to nurture our children. From the mothers who nurture to the leaders who inspire, the change-makers who challenge norms to the silent warriors who hold communities together, every woman’s journey is worth honoring.”
“As a woman, I recognize the struggles, the victories, the moments of self-doubt, and the unwavering determination it takes to rise above and beyond. I stand in admiration of every woman breaking barriers, holding space for others, and redefining possibilities,” she said.
Nonetheless, Hon. Oke-Aare Aina gave her thought concerning the ongoing crisis relating to sexual harassment between Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti.
Background
The female senator had accused the Senate president of sexual harassment after she was told that her seat had been changed in the upper chamber. The development did not go down well with Senator Natasha, who desired to sit on her former seat.
In the wake of her new sitting arrangement, Senator Natasha accused the Senate president of abusing her sexually, a claim she has not been able to substantiate with evidence. However, the Senate suspended her for 6 months over the sexual harassment claim.
Hon. Oke-Aare Aina said that the suspension was needless, though she believed that Senator Natasha did not have any evidence to corroborate her claim. She questioned the period of time the relationship of the duo lasted before she came out to say she had been sexually abused by the Senate president. She later advised women to stop using sexual harassment as a tool to get back at men without having any proof, saying it is dead on arrival. She asserted that the move of Senator Natasha’s seat made her make the claim.
“Using Sexual harassment as a tool to get even in Nigeria without a proof after being acquaintances for years is a bad tool and dead on arrival, the question is, If her seat had not be moved for what ever reason, would she have accused of being sexually harassed?”
She opined that using it as a tool to get justice at a later day would not work in Nigeria, where women are marginalised.
“Many women face harassment in line of duty or survival. Keeping it as a tool to get justice or sympathy for a later date in Nigeria's system of politics where women are marginalized is a bad tool.
JEGA expressed her pity for women who did not have a voice to speak up against sexual molestation. She urged every women facing any form of sexual harassment to speak up. Furthermore, she implored Nigerian women to fight the status quo that has subjugated them from climbing the social ladder in their own society.
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