“What a man can do, a woman can do better”. This is a quote that used to spark contentious debates back in my primary and secondary school days but as I’ve grown older, I have little doubt that indeed women are better at tackling most jobs, if not all jobs, than men. In the past week, Nigerian women in diaspora have done more to uphold the glory of the country than their male counterparts. The fact that we are yet to have a female president despite the striking evidence of the brilliance and courage of women says a lot about our society, but that’s a topic I’ll address later. Today, we celebrate these Nigerian women who have made the country proud in the past one week:
On May 18, Adichie received the doctor of humane letters, honoris causa degree from Georgetown University, in Washington, DC. She took it a step further on the 19th by becoming the first African to deliver the Class Day Speech of the Yale College at New Haven, Connecticut.
A tradition that dates as far back as the 19th century, Class Day includes student reflections on their four years at Yale, the awarding of undergraduate prizes for academic, artistic, athletic, and community accomplishments, and an address delivered by a prominent figure chosen by the students.
In announcing her selection as speaker, the Class Day 2019 Planning Committee described Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as “an inspiring global citizen whose words, teaching, and social activism have had an indelible impact on the diaspora and broader contemporary culture.”
Chimamanda joins an exclusive list of Yale Class Day speakers which include former US First Lady, Hillary Clinton; former Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden; Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair; Renowned Television Journalist, Barbara Walters, Oscar winning actor, Tom Hanks; and many more.
On May 18, the official Nigerian female football team, the Super Falcons, won the 2019 WAFU Women’s Cup on Saturday in Abidjan after defeating hosts Cote d’Ivoire 5-4 on penalty kicks.
The Super Falcons had advanced into the final match following their triumph over 2018 winners Ghana via penalty kicks shoot-out on Thursday the 16th and ultimately emerged champions in the finals after a 1-1 draw led to a penalty shootout victory in a game played at the Stade Robert Champroux de Macory.
Following the triumph in Abidjan, the Super Falcons returned to Abuja on Sunday where they shift their focus to the Women’s World Cup, starting in France next month.
A Nigerian-born teenager, Tobechukwu Phillips has made history in her American school. Phillips shattered the 125-academic history of her school in Texas, USA. She was a student of Alvin High School where she boasted a 6.9 GPA, as she earned A’s throughout her stay in the school. Phillips emerged the first Black Valedictorian in the school’s history. Phillips is set to attend the University of Texas in a full-ride, thanks to the First Acre Scholarship. She was one of 16 children chosen out of 4,000 applicants.
As our women keep winning in diaspora, it’s time to start a conversation on how they can win locally. In 2016, The world bank collection of development indicators reported that women accounted for 49.34% of the population, virtually half of the country. We can’t move forward if our women are not given a fertile ground to grow. Imagine what will happen when we invest more in our women.