Winifred Oyo-Ita, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, has urged women to participate actively in all strata of leadership in the society to build a transformed Nigeria.
She made the call at public presentation of the book “Why Marriages Fail” at Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja on Tuesday.
Represented by Maureen Ubi, Deputy Director of Monitoring and Reporting at Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Oyo-Ita, spoke on the topic: “The Wife as a Top Civil Servant”.
According to her, besides the traditional role of the woman as a mother and a wife, she has the inherent ability to drive desired change as a good manager and builder of society.
She said: “God created women to be true help mates and builders of homes and the society, therefore every woman should willingly assume this role wherever they are.
“In our society today, there is a commonality of the general belief system that a wife should be confined only to the traditional role of a help mate to the man she is married to.
“However, even from the old testament times in the Bible, women played roles beyond this, and indeed succeeded where men seem to have failed.
“I am particularly happy that this book is coming at a time when change and norms of gender equality and inclusion in our society is on the front burner of the present administration.”
The head of service also urged women to draw moral lessons from the life of the Biblical Deborah, who in addition to her role as a wife also fought societal ills.
She said that Deborah, though a woman, served as a judge during those extended years of corruption, decay and turmoil in Isreal, and succeeded in bringing order and restoration at that time.
Oyo-Ita said: “Our world today is not unlike that of ancient Isreal, where the influences of sin, pursuit of self and falsehood eroded the clear truth of God.
“There were muddy, stagnant ponds of corruption and inefficiency and Nigeria today was not exempted from this.
“Deborah’s action at that time reminds us how a wife can continue the divine mandate of being a help mate and also bring about significant impact in driving transformation as a top civil servant.
“She stood for courage at a time of fear, and was able to achieve because of her willingness to service, which was a prime factor.”
The author of the book, Lawrence Usman, a staff of Federal Ministry of Education, said he was prompted to write the book “due to increasing rate of crisis in marriages in recent times.
Usman said: “Marriage is the first human institution as created by God, and it has its dos and don’ts that must be followed for it to work.
“This book brings to the knowlege of everyone, whether married or intending to get married, some crucial facts about the union.”
Usman said building effective communication and how to manage sex, finances and in-laws, among other salient issues, were discussed in the book.
The 152-page book with 12 chapters was reviewed by Patricia Monwuba, a seasoned marriage counsellor.
Monwuba said the book was a timely antidote to the increasing ills in marriages and relationships.
According to her, the book needs to get across to every married person, as well as bachelors and spinsters for them to be well informed before going into marriage.
She urged marriage counsellors, parents and clerics to get copies of the book for their loved ones.
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