Happy International Women's Day!

I know you may not be a woman, but at least you have a mother to celebrate with, so please bear with me.

This year the theme is Breaking The Bias. We've been having a lot of interesting conversations around this, but today I want to tell you a story of what women suffer when they have to go out to work.

Two weeks ago, my car got stolen. It was taken away by my driver whom I had sent home to pick my son up from school. Too thankful that my son was safe, I reported it to the police. While there I was told that it was the third case of car theft by drivers that week, all from women. As if that wasn't bad enough, my friend's brand new Prado SUV (her official car) got stolen too. Again by her driver.

We are both women of faith, so God Himself got the cars back to us in nothing short of miraculous ways. My car was found at Ago Palace way (in Lagos) three days after it disappeared. Some men had paid a deposit of 1.5m naira, about to buy it, when they called us to verify.

My friend found hers three days after too, this time in Kaduna! The driver had tried to sell it off for 25m naira and the intending buyer googled the company (name on car papers) and made the call.

So I want to talk about this - why are successful women now seeming targets for wicked drivers' evil schemes? Is it a sin to employ them and give them a means of livelihood? My own driver had asked for N5,000 the day before to treat a fictitious ill child. To think I was funding the runs he needed to steal my car!

How do we protect women, therefore? How do we break the bias that they are not worthy to be bosses and so employ these drivers? How do we change the narrative?

Today is International Women's Day and I am thankful that I am a woman. Thankful for the love of a Father who sees me as a person, not just a female. Thankful for a supportive husband and adoring children. Thankful for a job I love and the food on my table. I'm thankful for you who is reading this.

Today, and always, speak up for a woman being oppressed, speak up for a woman being harassed, speak up for one woman, speak up for all women. #BreakTheBias.

I appreciate you.

Your favourite girl,

Brenda Unu