“WOMEN SEF!”

Yesterday was International Women’s Day. I always like celebrating this day on this column. The theme for this year was “Invest in women: Accelerate progress.” How do we invest in women? For me, it starts from the home and from cradle, more like catch them young.

The first 10 years of a child’s life are the most important as far as molding her is concerned. I have said that many times. That is when they are most pliable and parents can lay a solid foundation, instilling in the girl child, in this instance, the right values.

As Proverbs 22:6 says, train the girl child in the way she should go and when she grows up, she would not depart from it. That does not mean that these girls would be perfect children. That is impossible because even the parents bringing them up are not perfect parents.

Proverbs 22:15 also says that “Children just naturally do silly, careless things…” A well brought up girl can also lapse into stupidity. A teenage pregnancy can occur, but that does not change the fact that well brought up children generally turn out to be very responsible. It is like a dog on a long tether. It might wander far from the owner, but somehow, God, like the owner of the dog, brings her back because God know im children. I started observing families at an early age for reasons I cannot explain, and I have observed this trend for almost 50 years. I see the products from these good homes. They are not perfect, but they are not the typical Nigerians in a public space. They are different.

The beauty of a solid foundation is that when these young girls grow up, many of them get married and it is these values they pass on to their children. Even women from good homes who end up as single mothers for many reasons, including widowhood and divorce, also bring up responsible children if they are deliberate and focused in parenting. It is innate

The family is a microcosm of the larger society and families make up the society. You can gauge the health of the larger society from the health of the family units. Women are very critical in building healthy families and therefore healthy societies. I have cited some families here before. In one case, the husband was out there working very hard to provide for his family, while the wife was a full time housewife. They have eight children and they were deliberate in parenting their eight children. The children are all grown now. It is a great family: a Ph.D holder, a medical doctor, bankers, engineers and other reputable professionals. There is no black sheep among the children. They are all doing great. I look at them with great admiration. The father did a great job by providing adequately for the family and enforcing discipline when he was around. He lived by example. But you have to give it to the wife. She was there 24/7, making sure school homework was done and taking care of other things on the home front effectively.

There are other great families with well raised children. In virtually all the cases, the men worked hard/sacrificed and provided for the family, while the wives took care of the home front. Some of the women combined taking care of the home front and earning income to support their husbands. They combined both tasks with remarkable dexterity. I do not take the role of these great women lightly. I have seen children come to harm because their mothers’ negligence. Every woman who decides to bring a child into this world should also decide to bring out the best in the child. Everyone blames the government. Did armed robbers, kidnappers, prostitutes and other society deviants’ fall from the sky? They are from homes, of course. Everyone should contribute in creating a better society. Happy International Women’s Day to the womenfolk.

MOTHER’S DAY

Unlike International Women’s Day which is celebrated the same day all over the world, Mother’s Day is orishirishi. Yesterday was also Mother’s Day in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Bulgaria. Armenia celebrated their own Mother’s Day on February 7; Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, the Bahamas, Chile, Canada, China Columbia, Croatia, Ghana, Germany, USA and other countries will celebrate Mother’s Day on May 12; May 28 for Algeria; Benin Republic, Cameroon, Congo and Ivory Coast, Gabon, and France, May 26 and Argentina, October 20. The Mother’s Day date just changes from country to country.

In Nigeria, there is no agreed date for Mother’s Day celebration. Anglicans, some Pentecostal churches and other Nigerians with family links in the UK will celebrate Mother’s Day tomorrow, Catholics might celebrate theirs on April 14. Mother’s Day will also be celebrated on May 12 by those with family ties in the US, Canada and Australia. Wetin, Nigerian women, na only una come? Earlier in the week, I read a story and I exclaimed, “Women sef.” My wife challenged me: “How are you sure she did not do it with the consent of the husband?” I apologized and withdrew my statement. But today, I am forced to exclaim again, “women sef! Can’t you people just sit down and agree on one day to celebrate Mother’s Day?” But even as I exclaim, I know it would not happen. National pride will determine when some countries celebrate Mother’s Day. Church tradition will always determine when Catholic and Anglican mothers celebrate Mother’s Day. Daddy GOs or Mummy GOs will determine when Mother’s Day will be celebrated by some Pentecostal Churches. I won’t devote another article to celebrate women on Mother’s Day, so Happy Mother’s Day whenever you celebrate(d) yours.

Father’s Day is June 16, 2024, worldwide. I hope we have only one Father’s Day, especially in Nigeria. If countries and denominations have also chosen different days for celebration of Father’s Day, fathers don strip me naked publicly be that. In that case, I would, for the second time, I will apologise and withdraw my exclamation, “women sef.”

CONCLUSION OF COMPUTER VILLAGE TRIPS

I went back to Computer Village to fix my laptop on Monday.  Two Mondays ago, I could not fix both laptop and phone. I am using my insurance sense. In insurance, we have ways of compensating clients who suffer losses. The first option is to repair, which I am applying. Where repair is not feasible or business-wise, we move to replacement for all non-life insurance. Most times, though, insurers opt for cash compensation. In life insurance and liability insurance involving death or bodily injury, it is cash compensation all the way. You can’t repair or replace a severed limb or dead breadwinner. How much is a limb and where’s the market where they are sold? You simply pay the agreed sum assured and close the matter.

I actually typed the draft of today’s article on my phone when my laptop was faulty. Don’t ask me why I did not borrow my wife’s or children’s laptops. I just love my longtime companion, my HP. Thank God, my laptop is back.

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