AISHA MAINA: A Participant
Should a woman be allowed to work? Have you ever had to
discuss the above subject? Most likely you have or at least you have heard
others discuss it. I was present at a
gathering where this was being debated recently. It was a gathering of young people,
young, vibrant men and women. Everyone had more than one or two words to add.
Words few back and forth and as I listened, my countenance alternated between
shock, surprise and dismay. Of all the persons who spoke for or against, only
one came close to what I would regard a suitable argument. All the
contributions (except one) could be categorized into:
No, a woman should not work; her husband should cater for
her. If she does, she would become proud and/ or promiscuous.
Yes, a woman should work. The economic situation demands
that she does. She has to contribute something to the family’s revenue purse.
She should not reflect on the expenditure side alone but on the income side
also.
I was saddened by the responses. I considered them myopic.
No one mentioned the insulting angle of the question ‘should
a woman be allowed to work?’ No one pointed out the fact that it should not be
a question, the mere argument is insulting to the women folk. Not even the
ladies who contributed their opinions mentioned this. So I rose to add my
voice, here is what I said:
The debate stems from a misconception of who a woman really
is and what her roles are. This misconception was portrayed in the various
contributions.
First, saying a woman should not work but be catered for by
her husband, reduces her to a mere possession. She belongs to the man, just
like his car does. So she is to be catered for and used.
Secondly, the argument that a woman should work so she can
contribute to the family income flattens her human experience and reduces her
to a mere economic unit. It means a woman is considered solely from the angle
of economic prospect. The focus is how much she will be able to make to
complement her husband’s income. This is a sad argument, more so because I
listened to this straight from the lips of ladies. A woman is much more than an
economic unit.
In my opinion, this debate should not arise. A woman is neither
of the above. She is a participant in life. She is a human being, just like a
man is. She should participate in the scheme of life and she does not need
anyone’s permission to do so. It is left to her to decide in what form she
would like to participate – as a housewife, a career woman, a mother, etc. It
is her choice to make. She should have
dreams and aspirations like men do. She should add value to life. She should
participate in any way she chooses, and in any way through which she would
maximize her happiness and sense of fulfillment.
To refer to a woman as a possession or an economic unit is
to flattening an otherwise robust human experience. No one (male or female)
should work because of income alone. If we do, we would only succeed in living
at subsistence level. We should work to add value, to make life better for
someone else, even though they would have to pay us for doing so.
Women, you are not possessions or mere economic units, you
are participants and it is up to you to choose how exactly you will participate.
This month’s edition of TWP is focused on woman who is participating
in the area of entrepreneurship. With the staggering rate of unemployment in
Nigeria, she is doing more than making a good living for herself. She is creating
jobs, adding value and indeed participating. It is my sincere wish that she
would further inspire young ladies to break off from the mentality of being
either possessions or economic units, and embrace the firm fact that they
are participants. Enjoy!
Here is an interview with her by Chi Ibe, culled from: www.ynaija.com
Meet Aisha Maina, CEO
of Aquarian Consult; a leading provider of Human Resource, Recruitment and
Business Development Consultancy in Nigeria.
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| Aisha Maina |
What is the full scope of services in Aquarian Consult?
Aquarian Consult is a business development consultancy
firm. We partner with businesses to add value and help the businesses grow. Our
services include but are not limited to: business planning, strategy
formulation, HR consultancy, recruitment and training.
How did you start your business?
I started by researching and planning the business then
implementing the plan. Aquarian Consult started with just a laptop and access
to the internet.
How long have you run your business?
3 and a half years.
Why recruitment?
Every business needs people to run it and ensure it is
sustainable. We help businesses get the right people. There are hundreds of
thousands of people seeking employment or wishing to change jobs, we try to
match these job seekers with the right jobs for them.
What’s the employment/unemployment landscape in Abuja?
Well, there are a lot of small businesses. In Abuja but a
lot of people don’t want to work for SMEs. There are quite a number of jobs and
quite a number of jobseekers in Abuja.
How many young people have you been able to secure jobs
for?
We have been able to secure jobs for over 300 people so far.
What are the statistics of available jobs vis-a-vis
unemployed youths?
There are many different statistics but I can’t vouch for
any as I have not carried out any research personally.
There’s a school of thought that Nigerian Graduates are
unemployable, what would you say to that?
We find that the larger percentage of jobseekers we come
across are actually unemployable.
Can you share four reasons why Nigerian youths might
be unemployable?
A lot of time is spent training us on technical skills
but in today’s world, it’s not only the technical skills that make you
employable, soft skills are just as important as technical skills. We also find
that a lot of us (Nigerians) have a sense of entitlement. That air of
importance contributes to making a person unemployable because if s/he feels
that important, they would have a problem with authority.
Another factor we have seen is the message of
entrepreneurship which we propagate. It’s a great message but we have to
balance it with the message that to be a good leader, you MUST be a great
follower. These are just a few factors in the endemic issue of unemployable
Nigerians. How responsive are these graduates to skills development?
Not very responsive. Most graduates don’t think they should
pay any more money to gain knowledge. They feel the training and the amount
spent in school should be enough. Self-development is a continuous journey, not
a race.
What solutions would you proffer to the
unemployment situation in the country? What are the challenges facing your
business?
Mostly mind-set. Most Nigerian small businesses do not
think they should pay for professional services as “we can do it all
ourselves.”
Do you encounter staffing issues as well?
Yes we do. We also have to pick from the pool of graduates
that are in Nigeria today so we have similar issues as most small businesses,
but we have a training and mentoring schedule that ensures that whoever works
or leaves Aquarian Consult is not only very employable but would be a real
asset to the organization.
What challenges do you face because of location?
We are lucky as we hardly have challenges related to
our location.
How can entrepreneurship be more conducive in
Nigeria?
There should be several initiatives to train people on
business management, leadership skills and most importantly communication
skills. It would also be nice if access to funds could be made a little easier.
What can Government do?
Policies can be implemented and regulatory bodies
should be instituted to ensure that these policies are continuously
implemented.
If you were the president, what would you do about the
state of security in the country?
Well, as I’m not the President, I don’t have all the
information needed to make an informed suggestion on what actions should be
carried out in regards to security.
