Femi Fala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), on Friday urged government at all levels to invest in the promotion of entrepreneurship, particularly for women and youths.
Falana said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the closing of JAMII Femmes programme, supported by Coca-Cola Foundation in Lagos.
He explained that this was important because majority of Nigerian women invest and trade legitimately and as such can help build the nation just as they build the homes.
“When the government had Peoples’ Bank in the past, the record of success was immense because most of those who took loans were women.
“Hence, the reason we went to court to demand that the Peoples Bank should be reintroduced and we are still pursuing that.
“If the government support entrepreneurs, create an enabling environment and give them funding, the problem of poverty and inequality in the society would be addressed,” he said.
According to him, women, youths and entrepreneurs are ready to contribute their quotas to the success of the economy, but are presently neglected.
The legal luminary noted that the new government has a lot to do because the bulk of the funds earmarked to promote entrepreneurship in the country have been diverted by a few people.
Falana advised the government to address that, by ensuring that funding could get to the right people that would contribute to the development of our nation.
The legal luminary charged Nigerian women to rise up and demand for their right of 35 per cent representation in government, in line with laid down legal framework.
He said: “Women have to demand for their right. I cannot expect any government to say, ‘women this is your time’.
“Women will have to demand for their rights and there are legal frameworks available for them to do so.
“If there is a judgment that says 35 per cent of all positions should be occupied by women. Let’s start with that and the sky will be the limit.
“Presently, women and girls at home and abroad are doing wonderfully well in every sector, just as a girl was accused of forgery in JAMB, another girl eventually emerged as the highest scorer in the examination.
“Women are accountable and are challenging the men across sectors. If given the right support, I know they will do exploit.