Female Drivers Train 200 Members As Professional Drivers, Solicit Government Employment

Female Drivers Association of Nigeria (FEDAN), says it has trained no fewer than 200 members as professional drivers for wealth creation and human capacity development across the country.

Mrs Eunice Odighe, National President of FEDAN, made this known during the inauguration of new executive members of the Ondo State Chapter of the association on Friday in Akure.

Odighe said that the gesture was to eradicate unemployment among women and youths and conquer transportation “backwardness” in the country.

She explained that the association had grown in terms of empowerment, human development and social impact, among others.

The FEDAN national president, who also explained that the association had been in existence for over 10 years, said it covered about 20 states.

According to her, FEDAN, as a professional body, has zero tolerance for laziness and has raised strong, financially-secured women and youths through mentorship and training.

“So, from the 200 women and youths we have trained as professional drivers, governments and private parastatals have started recruiting them.

“Some are well employed with good salaries in the driving sector, not administrative staff, but a driver in the making.

“I will be happy, and the Association will be happy, if Ondo State Government can as well employ our drivers because we are women who are determined to support our men,” Odighe said.

She, therefore, called on governments to join hands with the association to fight violence against women and rape, saying that FEDAN had always campaigned against human trafficking, child labour, and abuse

Odighe charged the new executives to be women of goodwill with great zeal in their day-to-day activities and to shun anything that would tarnish the profession.

Speaking, Mrs Bosede Olalusi, the new Ondo State Coordinator of FEDAN, appreciated the national president and the state association for counting her worthy to serve.

She promised to make the association strong and vibrant which would effectively promote the interest of female drivers in the state.

Olalusi, saying it was time for government at all levels to ensure that women were empowered, said “empowered women would reduce poverty and promote peace and security in the society.”

According to her, female drivers are facing discrimination and harassment on a daily basis, and this needs to be discouraged by all.

She boasted “Female drivers are more detail-oriented and safety conscious in the business than male counterparts.

“Don’t see female drivers as being less competent than male drivers and stop subjecting us to verbal abuse or physical violence because female drivers have a lot to offer the country.

“Female empowerment is essential for the development of Nigeria and when women are empowered, they are able to contribute more meaningfully to the economy and the society,” she said.

Also, Mr Tobi Ogunleye, Special Adviser to Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on transport, who represented Akeredolu, promised government’s support to the association.

He said that the government would not tolerate any intimidation or violence against female drivers in the course of their job.

Ogunleye, therefore, charged the association to accommodate more youths into the job, saying government would only employ them if they learned the rudiments attached to driving.

“Ondo State Government has an established drivers institute for training and retraining of drivers and Okada riders, so a drivers’ licence is not enough for employment, rather, they must learn the rudiments.

“To our people, it is better for our women and youths to join the association instead of community association because it will give them a means of livelihoods and it’s a professional association,” he said.

Credit to Muftau Akanni