Stop discrimination against women in science, Don charges scientists

From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure

A university don, Dr. Cecilia Oluwamodupe has charged scientists all over the world not to discriminate against their female counterparts.

This is even as the don encouraged women to take part in science through deliberate enrolment and mentorship.

Dr. Oluwamodupe who is the Acting Dean, School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State gave the advice while speaking on the topic “Accelerating Equity in Science” at the 2025 Global Women’s Breakfast held at the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo.

She said “there is the need for fairness in the field of science for both genders. Most of the world’s poverty is with over one billion women and children, which is considered unfair as women make a large portion of the nation’s human resources, providing a rich potential supply of talented scientists and innovators.”

To this end, the don said “women should not just be seeing as entertainers. Rather, encouraging women to take part in science would allow any country to maximize its valuable human assets, empower its women and improve its economic prospects.”

The Ondo state Coordinator of the Women in Chemistry/Chemical Society in Nigeria (WICCSN), Dr. Funmilayo Gbenga-Fabusiwa Agbaje, in her welcome address said “as women in science, we face unique challenges from implicit bias to unequal access to resources. But we also have a unique opportunity to make a difference to inspire the next generation of women in science and to create a more inclusive and equitable scientific community.”

She stated further that “to destroy any nation does not require the use of atomic bombs produced in the Chemistry laboratories or the use of long-range missiles. It only requires lowering the quality of education, which we must stand against.”

She urged all women in chemistry and science generally to be an instrument of advancing education and promoting gender equity in the society to make the nation great.

The meeting featured presentation of awards to eminent personalities deemed to have left indelible footprints in the sand of time, particularly in sciences, medical sciences and those in the business world supporting sciences.

Some of the recipients include the Vice Chancellor, UNIMED, Prof. Adesegun Fatusi, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Rose Angela Nwuba and Chief Olaota Olamuyiwa, among others.