Expert Advocates Voters’ Education For Women

A consultant for Women Educators Association of Nigeria (WEAN), Dr. Nimi Tariah has advocated the sensitisation of voters education for women to ensure their greater participation in politics.

Dr. Tariah, the lead facilitator at a two-day workshop on “Gender policy Sensitisation and Voter Education for Women” at the weekend in Port Harcourt stated  this is the only way that could reposition women in the electoral process.

He reasoned that considering the population of women in Nigeria, their participation in the country’s politics is essential, insisting that women make up the largest percentage of voters. They constitute 50% of the Nigerian population, and yet they are not well represented in the current political setting,” he said.

Comparatively, he noted, a gender audit of voters carried out in various countries (excluding Nigeria) shows that majority of voters are women.

He maintained that the voters apathy among women was due to domestic workload, lack of time and insecurity around polling centres during elections.

Dr. Tariah advised that women should be the target of voter education training in the country.

In his words: “part of the reason is that women have different communication methods than men, more knowledge about their civic right than men and because of the elective representation in Nigeria politics which placed men on the front burner.

He also stated that women have a lower social and economic status compared to men, women have less time for political activity than men and, as a group, have not harnessed their collective power to influence the political agenda of Nigeria.

Therefore he advised that more women should be needed in elective position to help address the role of women in politics.

Tariah enumerated among other challenges facing women to include misconceptions about the role of women in politics, public life, sexual discrimination harassment, and inadequate political commitment to women’s development.