Coalition Seeks Equal Opportunity For Nigerian Women In Governance
The Coalition of 250 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria has called for equal opportunity for Women in the governance process by the incoming administration of President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinibu.
The Coalition is dedicated to promoting women’s participation in the political process in Nigeria.
Its Spokesperson, Mrs Asmau Benzies-Leo made the appeal at a news conference on the outcomes of the 2023 general elections on Wednesday in Yola, Adamawa State capital.
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 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, the government and CSOs must work together to create an enabling environment for women’s participation.
She said; “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.”
The coalition is in partnership with Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), and with Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) supported by Macarthur Foundation.
NAN/ Mercy Chukwudiebere
