The duo spoke at the opening ceremony of the 2013 National Women Conference organized by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials, COWLSO, held at the Eko Hotels and Suits, Victoria Island, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Tuesday.
Speaking at the conference, with the theme: See Beyond Today: Enhance the Quality of Life, Oshiomhole, who declared the conference open, said the nation had decided to hold a national conference to deliberate on ethnicity and the geographical set up of the country, but wondered why the issue of female presidency was not brought into the front burner.
The Edo state governor stressed that it was time Nigeria deliberate to have a female president at the helms of affairs in the midst of absolute failure by the male counterpart who had been ruling the nation since 1960.
Oshiomhole said the feat achieved by the late former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher had not be rivaled till this moment, saying that the woman was able to take Britain to an enviable height.
“There are evidences around the world where women have led. There is no question in my mind that we need to create a level playing field for the women,” he stated.
In his goodwill message, Fashola said there was the need for women to take over the leadership of this nation as they had shown that they could be better leaders more than the male folk.
“We are waiting for the women to take over. Our world will be better if women take over. The best emerging economy today in the world is being driven by women. The women have been there with me in my government,” he said.
The governor also spoke on the need to control the burgeoning population of the nation, in the midst of pervading and rising cases of hunger in the land.
Fashola stated that statistics had it that two-third of the world’s seven billion population lived in abject poverty and that Nigerian women had the power to control the rising population of the nation.
“Can we consciously start slowing down the way we grow our population? If two-third already live in poverty, what chance for those coming after us if we are already in poverty?” He asked.
According to Fashola, “people are shy discussing this issue; the earlier we talk about it, the better. In 1970, the population of London was 8.5 million while Lagos was then 1.4 million.
“Today, London has dropped about one million population while Lagos has gone up to reach about 20 million. We can march out of poverty if we plan well.”
Fashola added that the Lagos State Government was already undergoing registration of all Lagosians for adequate planning for the population, urging the women register and to mobilize others to do the same so that government could plan for the future of their children.
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