2023 Maiden PWC conference: Stakeholders seek improved women representation at workplaces

By Stanley Onyekwere

Stakeholders have advocated for increased strategic support and awareness towards inclusive gender representation in workplaces, in order to bridge the gap in women representation in management cadre in the society.
They particularly noted the need to continuously widen measures and efforts that fosters inclusive work environment that recognises the rights of everyone irrespective of gender.
The stakeholders made this call at the 2023 Maiden Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) Branch PENGASSAN Women Commission (PWC) conference, with the theme: “Entrenching Equitable Opportunities For Women Towards Inclusiveness, Innovation And Excellence”, held Thursday, in Abuja.
For Executive Director, ERSP NMDPRA, Prof. Zainab Gobir, “a woman who is working has responsibility in her work place and her home front as well as even the society expects her to do more, and no where is lacking.
“So, I believe that giving women more opportunities will give us a better place especially in the country. And my advise to women is that don’t give up, continue to strive for the better, support each other, learn, innovate, always lending a voice, and for those of us in leadership continue to do well, so that we can pave the way for others.”
Similarly, National Chairperson, PENGASSAN PWC, Comrade Ada Mbanaso, said looking at the leadership space for women, the government has been trying, and the National Assembly had promised us a minimum of 30% inclusiveness, but we are yet to attain it.
She said: “I don’t think we have gotten to where we are going to, there are still a lot more to be done. And I believe that if more women come on board, there would be a better Nigeria and business environment for everyone.

“Women are good managers and when responsibilities are handed over to them, they take it very seriously and make sirr they deliver on it.
“The NUPRC management has done well since the inception of the PWC in the NUPRC as they have been very supportive, but I will advise that they encourage women the more especially in the trainings, capacity building and leadership roles, so that women would be mentored from the grassroot and grow up as skillful women as they are attaining the management cadre.”
Also speaking, Mrs. Rukaiya, Special Adviser on NEC and Climate Change to the President, noted that diversity and inclusion helps as it fosters inclusive work environment, which leads to improved values.
According to her, “People think differently, and the strength lies in the differences, not having everyone being the same. That’s how you breed innovations that bring solutions and excellence.”
On her part, Comrade Omobale Bello, NUPRC Branch PWC Chairperson, expressed hope that the PWC conference will inspire women towards greater achievements in their chosen careers.
Bello noted that before now, there has been challenges, and looking at the statistics globally, there has been improvement on women representation at the top, we hope for more representation of women at the top.
“The reason for this programme is so that we could raise awareness towards gender representation in management positions and to bring peoples attention towards the gender stereotypes in the work place.
“We hope with this programme we will also be able to inspire people to contribute to the society towards the girl-child education”, she stressed.
Earlier in his opening remarks , the Commission Chief Executive (CCE), NUPRC, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe,
described the theme of the conference as very apt, as it seeks to bridge the competency gap between the women and men, and the need for equal opportunities with their male counterparts across all sectors of human endeavour.
Komolafe said it is expected that at the end of the conference, the decisions that would be arrived at after robust discussions will pave way for women for more participation and active roles anywhere they found themselves in the society.
Represented by Dr. Kelechi Ofoegbu, the NURPC boss, said the Commission remains committed to promoting gender equality and championing the course of women in the oil and gas industry.
“We believe in the power of gender diversity in leadership and crucial role that women play in positions of influence and decision making.
“We strive continuously to eliminate workplace social stereotypes, to foster a culture of inclusiveness. As a commission, we are determined to debunk the myth and challenge societal norms that impede women progress in the workplace by creating and environment that is free from bias prejudice”, he stated.
He appreciated the women in PENGASSAN for putting together the event, noting that with calibre of the invited guests present, there is no doubt that it will go a long way to achieve its goals and drive the overall objective of empowering women to do more if given the requisite opportunities in an industry predominately dominated by men.
In his goodwill message, NUPRC PENGASSAN Branch Chairman, Comrade Okey Anya, said the conference will help foster discussions even among the NUPRC management, so that more opportunities can be given to the women, to enable them occupy and aspire to be at top positions.
He adds: “We believe that the women are very smart, innovative and have a lot to offer, as it is not just a man’s world but a woman’s universe.”