The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Plateau Command, on Wednesday held a one-day workshop for women in uniform, bordering on balancing domestic responsibilities with official expectations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the workshop, titled “Balancing Domestic Responsibilities with Official Expectations Among Women in uniform”, was held in Jos.

Dr. Adelaja Ogungbemi, the Plateau Sector Commander of the Corps, in his remarks, stated that the workshop was aimed at building the capacity of women in uniform on the Plateau.

He explained that the idea was conceived because of his concern and interest in the empowerment of the womenfolk.

“I believe that women are special species, very strong, very powerful, and without you, nothing can be done, and any society where we don’t have women, something strong is missing.

“Over time, I got to know that women have a very strong role to play in our work,” Ogungbemi said.

According to him, he has worked with women who have exceeded the men’s expectations, which, therefore, called for the need for a continuous capacity building for them.

He noted that considering the fact that women constituted a larger percentage of the Plateau Sector Command’s workforce, it was imperative that they wete well trained for the job.

“It will interest you to know that when I got to Plateau, I discovered that I had a lot of female members of staff.

“I saw a missing gap there, and I discovered that they will be able to do better if they were well informed.

“Therefore, I decided to hold a workshop of this nature to meet some of the challenges that they are faced with,” he said.

He, however, acknowledged the fact that managing the home front and work life was a very difficult task,

“Some husbands may not know that it is a herculean task, while some bosses may not know what it takes to hold both home and office.

“I see women as people of strength, and I even think that women are stronger than men.

“Most of the tasks that women do, men cannot combine them and be successful.”

The commandant expressed the belief that after the workshop, the women would be able to raise their heads up high in their offices and at home.

Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM) Joseph Udoabba, the Zonal Commanding Officer of the corps, in his remarks, said balancing often started from gender equity by giving women the opportunity to serve.

Udoabba urged the participants to always be prepared because, according to him, when preparedness meets opportunity, something great happens.

“Looking at the 12 zones that the corp has, some are headed by the female gender, while some states are headed by the female gender.

“What we are trying to do is balancing, and we are trying. This is possible because of the corps’ gender sensitive stance policy,” he said.

Dr Joy Panle from the Department of Guidance and Counseling, University of Jos, presented a paper titled ” Stress and Emotional Management for Working-Class Women.”

Panle expressed confidence that in spite of the stress and emotional challenges, with the right knowledge, skills and coping strategy, working class women could successfully manage stress, regulate emotions, and maintain the balance.

“Investing in emotional health and adopting healthy stress management practices can enhance women resilience and improve their productivity, leading to a more balanced and fulfilling life,” she said.

Also speaking, Mrs Olivia Dazyam, Chairperson of the Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, stressed that balancing marital responsibilities with work expectation was not about perfection.

“It is about partnership, planning, patience, and prayers. With God’s guidance, wise choices, and mutual support, women can thrive both in marriage and in the workplace,” Dazyam said.