Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has urged women in the maritime industry to stop marketing gender inequality as reason for their lack of appointments into political positions.
Speaking at the 2019 World Maritime Day celebration in Lagos on Thursday, Amaechi urged women to focus on building their competence and lifting one another.
The former Rivers State governor said women get appointments on merit.
“I don’t agree with you on the idea of gender because the struggle is not peculiar to Nigeria alone, it’s everywhere in the world. It’s about the class you belong because there are millions of women and men who are dying of hunger,” he said.
“Women get appointments because they merit the appointment. I have female friends who are very educated.
“And one is Amina Mohammed who was a special adviser to the former Secretary-General of the United Nations. It was when Mr President visited the United States and saw Amina that he was impressed with her and made her a minister.
“Amina got to where she is today because she has a vision and wouldn’t listen to distractions. Life is about courage.
“So I will urge women in maritime to stop begging because it is their entitlement. Women are manipulators and can manipulate men to sign what they wouldn’t want to sign. Women are more brilliant.”
Minister of state for transportation, Gbemisola Saraki, who also spoke at the event, called for an increased amount of scholarship and mentorship to boost female participation in the shipping sector.