Coalition demands equal opportunity for women in governance
Story from Usman IBRAHIM, Yola
The Coalition of 250 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), WOMANIFFESTO, dedicated to promoting women’s participation in the political process of Nigeria has called for equal opportunity in governance by the incoming administration of President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu.
Mrs Asmau Benzies-Leo, spokesperson of the coalition, made the appeal at a news conference on the outcomes of the 2023 general elections on Wednesday in Yola.
She said women make up half of Nigeria’s population, yet they remained significantly underrepresented in political decision-making processes.
“The 2023 elections were supposed to provide an opportunity for Nigeria to take a giant leap forward in promoting women’s participation in politics.
“But that has failed to meet up to the expectations despite the huge contributions made by women across all sectors to ensure free, fair and credible elections.
“It is essential at this point to emphasis that women should be given equal opportunity to participate and contribute to governance process even as the new administration comes on board,” she said.
According to her, in the coming 10th Assembly, there is a drastic reduction of women in the Senate from eight to three at the moment.
She added that while in the House of Representatives, only 17 women have been elected despite an increase of four compared to 13 women in the 9th Assembly.
Benzies-Leo further said that to tackle the challenges, government and CSOs must work together to create an enabling environment for women’s participation.
“Nigerian women’s political participation is not just a matter of gender equality, it is a crucial step towards building a stronger and more democratic Nigeria.
“Let us all work together to create an enabling environment for women’s political participation and ensure that women’s voices are heard,” she said.
The coalition is in partnership with the Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) in collaboration with the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) supported by Macarthur Foundation.
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