Story by Dili Utomi.
An epochal occasion happened Tuesday at an event centre along the Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja Lagos as a group of women with the support of some male professionals gathered for the inauguration of an all female professional association aptly called the Women In Out-of-Home Advertising in Nigeria (WOHAN). The association is an offshoot of the parent body which is the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), the sectoral pressure group responsible for championing the interests of professional Out-of- home advertising practitioners. The hall of the event centre was occupied mostly by women who are the chief executive officers and senior managers of their various outdoor advertising firms.
According to the coordinator of the group, Mrs. Adeola Odesanya, the idea of such a body was initially muted by the president of OAAN, Chief Emmanuel Ajufo about two years ago, but that she and her colleagues later became more convinced that such an association would help the course of women hence this arrangement to bring the association into reality.
In his goodwill message, the president of OAAN, Chief Ajufo noted that “Women have come a long way in this line of business. While some were born into it, others have worked their way to the top echelon of our industry. Today, we have some female CEOs At the Association’s Management Level, we have had 2 female Council members. Presently, we have two (2) female council members and two (2) female BOT members”.
He added that “In all the positions where women have been in charge, I can say with all sense of duty that they have discharged themselves very creditably. I am a strong believer that women are better managers and it is therefore safe to say that OAAN will be better organised if WOHAN is strong. We should then support this special group to develop to their full potentials.
In her welcome speech, the coordinator of the group, Mrs. Adeola Odesanya urged the woman that “As we pick up the gauntlet, let this quote that women are the secret sauce behind every success continue to resonate”.
“It is no exaggeration that women have all it takes to thrive, lead, and shape the direction of Out-of-Home advertising in Nigeria. We would continue on this mandate until all barriers and gender biases are broken and women excel in every aspect of the industry”.
The keynote speaker was a big professional heavyweight in the advertising industry whose over 35 years of experience is usually brought to reflect on every word that she utters. Mrs. Bunmi Oke delivered her address with such simplicity as well as humour that the audience clearly wanted some more. Her paper dwelled on ‘Women in advertising, the challenges and the prospects’.
She said that some of the issues that women face in the place if work such as not being understood, physical strength, sexual harassment, pregnancy and lack of confidence can always be overcame when the woman is competent on her job. She noted that women can sometimes be more creative than the men depending on the particular situation. Mrs. Oke who has had stints with many multinational companies gave the example of how jollof rice was invented by a woman who had little ingredients to make stew and who decided to throw in the little available ingredients to make the food thereby resulting in what we today call jollof rice.
Mrs. Oke also added that being passionate about what you do will help women a lot and the fact that more women are now in the business of outdoor advertising is a big plus that should create the kind of cooperation and synergy that should advance the course of women. She detailed the dynamic nature of outdoor advertising which is creating more opportunities and urged that women should always will be there to exploit those opportunities. The former president of the Advertising Agencies Association of Nigeria (AAAN) advised that the unique nature of women should not be seen as impediment, but rather as advantageous in solving industry and societal problems.
In an interview with Mrs. Oke after the event, she said that she was delighted to be at the event. She noted that “The sooner we all realise that we should give everyone within the society expecially in the advertising sector the chance to express their talents and creativity and help further develope the sector and society at large because this will make it more dynamic, more creative, more refreshing and even more economically viable, the better for us all”.
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