Bala-Usman Advocates for Women's Rights in Leadership

Hadiza Bala-Usman, the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Port Authority, addressed the issue of discriminatory policies against unmarried women regarding maternity leave during her keynote speech at an International Women's Day celebration organized by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and the National Counter Terror Centre in Abuja. Bala-Usman recounted her experiences at the Nigerian Port Authority, where an outdated policy denied maternity leave to unmarried women, which she described as ridiculous and archaic.

She argued that such policies undermine women's roles in the workplace and called for their abolition. Bala-Usman stressed the importance of women's empowerment in leadership positions, asserting that when women are empowered, families and communities are strengthened, contributing to national development.

Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefa supported her views, emphasizing that no society can progress without valuing women. He noted that empowering women leads to stability and progress in communities and the nation.