Money, violence hinder our participation in governance — NCWS

By Idowu Isamotu, Olayemi John-Mensah (Abuja), Hassan Ibrahim (Bauchi) & Maryam Ahmadu-Suka (Kaduna)

A cross-section of Nigerian women, yesterday, charged female lawmakers in the National Assembly to sponsor legislation that will make elections in the country free from money-bags and violence, saying that is the only way to encourage the participation of the female folk in governance.

The women, who converged on the headquarters of the National Council for Women Societies (NCWS) in Abuja, in commemoration of the International Women’s week, vowed to slug it out with their male counterparts in the forthcoming elections.

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This is just as a survey recently carried out and released by a data and research organisation, NOIPolls, revealed that no fewer than 73 per cent of women in Nigeria are still facing discrimination in the area of governance.

The report, which was presented by the chief executive officer of the organization, Chike Nwangwu, showed that the federal government’s effort to address issues related to women in Nigeria in the area of ‘female genital mutilation, domestic violence, sexual harassment and early child marriage’, was not at par.

Addressing newsmen after their national executive council meeting, President of NCWS, Laraba Shoda, said women are being pushed aside because they don’t have a deep pocket and could not withstand violence during primaries of the main political parties.

Also, the Bauchi State chapter of the NCWS has tasked civil society organisations (CSOs) to scout for credible and qualified female political activists ahead of the 2023 general elections to check the domination of the political space by men.

The chairperson of the council Barrister Shafau Yusuf, who made the plea in Bauchi, attributed the defeat of women political office seekers to the wrong choice of candidates and the emergence of unqualified female aspirants during party primaries.

Similarly, the National Women Leader of Action Democratic Party (ADP), Hajiya Rahinatu Mohammed, has called on Nigerian women to strive to achieve their ambitions and stand at par with their menfolk in all developmental spheres.

She lamented the neglect and absence of women in major decision making organs of the country, noting that her party, the ADP, has come out fully ready to change that.