Coalition Demands Equal Opportunity For Women In Governance

The Coalition of 250 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) dedicated to promoting women’s participation in political process in Nigeria, has called for equal opportunity in governance process by the in coming administration of President-elect, Senator Bola Tinubu.
Spokeperson of the coalition, Mrs Asmau Benzies-Leo, made the appeal at a news conference on the outcomes of 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 was 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 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 enable 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 voice are heard”, she said.
The Tide’s source reports that the coalition is in partnership with Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) in collaboration with Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) supported by Macarthur Foundation.