NAN-ND-3
Women
By Nathan Nwakamma
Yenagoa, April 9, 2017 (NAN) A Yenagoa-based entrepreneur, Mrs Faith Wilkinson, has advocated the participation of women in the operation of the proposed modular refineries in the Niger Delta.
Wilkinson, who deals in blended lubricants, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa on Sunday.
She said that fair participation of women in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry would help to drive development in the region.
It would be recalled that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in February announced that the Federal Government would work with unregistered local petroleum product refiners under the proposed modular refineries initiative.
Osinbajo had said that government now preferred the measure to continual destruction of illegal refineries which had contributed greatly to environmental degradation in the Niger Delta.
Wilkinson, however, urged women who she referred to as the ‘backbone’ of the artisanal refineries to take advantage of the government proposal.
According to her, women are vulnerable and they require special consideration in any economic empowerment scheme.
Wilkinson said women and children suffer the negative effects of under development in the Niger Delta region more than other groups in the society.
“My advice is that women should come together and seize this opportunity at this initial stage. By nature, women are often reserved and complacent in embracing initiatives of this nature.
“In every local refining camp, you will see that women are actively involved in running the business and they have this natural inclination to manage resources.
“So, I want women to come out and participate in this proposed plan of the Federal Government.
“If government accommodates women by giving us some quota in the proposed modular refineries, it will be much better than throwing open the competition for all.
“This is because we do not have the financial muscle to compete with the men folk; we need some form of encouragement from the Federal Government.
“Very few women have come up to register their artisanal refineries in this state and this is not encouraging,” she said.
Wilkinson also urged women engaged in local refining to come together to be able to seize the opportunity offered by government’s proposal. (NAN)
NN/EMO/OJO
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(Edited by Ejike Obeta/Mufutau Ojo)