2023: Group Insists On 30% Affirmative Action In Political Particpation

The Inter-Party Women Network (IPWN), a non-governmental organisation, says that it will continue to fight to ensure that women gets 30 per cent affirmative action on participation in politics.
The Team Leader of IPWN, Mr Chukwudi Ojielo, announced this on Wednesday when he led members of the group to a courtesy call to the Acting South-East Manager of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mrs Ifeyinwa Okonkwo.
Ojielo said that the group was building a critical mass of number of women through political education and awareness to be able to raise women standard and push to seek and occupy political positions in the country.
According to him, IPWN in collaboration with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) wants to create a platform where women and women groups can aggregate their numerical strength and negotiate for power at all levels.
“Our target is that by 2023; we must have grown the network to have millions of women, who must have been enlightened and mentally conditioned, to seek, vie and hold political offices nationwide.
“IPWN will achieve this through politic-based networking involving women from various political parties and interest groups.
“We will also use clear-out women mass education and enlightenment workshops and media interactions on issues limiting women in politics and other relevant issues to our course,” he said.
The team leader, however, appealed to NAN for comprehensive coverage of its activities and other women political activities to use it wide reach to give women a voice in the country.
“We want NAN to help project our activities and programme to create that conscious political awareness that Nigerian women have come of age.
“In this country, we have produced great women politicians and administrators; but we need more political space to further display the innate qualities inherent in our women,” he added.
Responding, Okonkwo noted that NAN, as the lead wire agency in Africa, had been in the fore-front of gender participation and mainstreaming in politics in Africa, especially in Nigeria.
“NAN has more tentacles than any other media houses or group and with our vast reach, we will give your programmes the needed coverage and exposure.
“Women should be given a chance to excel and lead in order to make a difference,” she noted.