Group Canvasses Greater Women Participation In Politics

Nigerian women had been told to participate actively in politics and occupy key political positions to effectively address issues relating to women’s rights and gender sensitivity.

This was the resolution reached at the end of a one day Bi-annual platform discussion on exploring new approaches and priorities to women’s human rights, organised by a women advocacy group, Gender and Development Action (GADA), with support from Stakeholders Democracy  Network (SON) in Port Harcourt.

Speaking with newsmen after the one day seminar, the Programme Director of (GADA), Susan Bassey Duke, said the need to create awareness for women active participation in politics started from the decline in the last elections in the country. The programme director admitted that women participation in the last election was poor inspite of the much talked about 35 per cent, affirmative action.

She said that the organisation was making concerted efforts to increase the awareness to ensure effective participation of  women in politics. In her presentation, a discussant, Mrs Florence Fibresima, called for the domestication of the international convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.

She said that Nigeria as a signatory to the international policy was bound to the principles by the convention which is encapsulated in the National Gender Policy. She, however, regretted that women were still victims of repugnant cultural practices in the country, and called for greater access of women to justice.

Also speaking, the Country Director of Stakeholders Democracy Network, Inemo Sariwama, said the programme was aimed at mobilizing women to take their rightful position in the leadership of the country. Describing women as a great asset to the country, she said their involvement in decision making process would change things for the better in the county.   As mothers, she said women were pivotal to the enthronement of peace and progress in the society.

In her remark, the Deputy Mayor of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Nancy Ijaopo, called on women to drop their political apathy and participate actively in the political process, adding that the future of Nigeria as a country depended on the political empowerment of women.

Taneh Beemene