For beauty queen, Mrs Tienepre Udejiofor, says if given the chance, Nigeria women can change the dwindling fortunes of the country.
The beauty queen disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
She explained that the celebration of 2018 International Women’s Day was an opportunity for Nigeria to reflect on how much women have been relegated to the background.
Udejiofor , winner of Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) universe 2006 and a mother of two stressed that the affairs of the country had been left in the hands of men far too long
“Let’s beam a search light on the history of Nigeria, which woman was given an opportunity to serve and did not excel?”
“The Nigerian woman is proud ,intelligent and resilient. Abroad, her fame and exploits are acknowledged but at home she is viewed as a weak vessel.”
According to her, the time has come to change the rhetorics.
“Women have been limited by labels placed upon them by what society think is right. I believe young women should be empowered and be mentally prepared to excel in all that they do.
“I do a lot of that now, mentoring and coaching women to unlock and maximize their potentials. As women,we should never see obstacles. Challenges should be opportunities for our promotion.
“As a girl, I took part in many beauty pageants, graduated to Mrs Nigeria International as a married woman and now I am going for Mrs International Pageant in Charleston, WV, USA.
“That is the Nigerian woman I am talking about,” she said.
Udejiofor also encouraged women to vie for elective positions as the general elections draw near.
“As women,we have the number that can effect that positive change we need in society. Let us come out to vote and be voted for.
“The days are gone when it was believed that the woman was the woman’s political foe.
The orientation should be different. When a woman is up the ladder other women should push her up,” she said. (NAN)