Nigerian Christian women have been encouraged to be active participants in the forthcoming 2027 general elections in Nigeria.
The Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan gave the admonition in his homily at the 2026 Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja Catholic Women Organisation Day Celebration, in Abuja.
He said that women have the ability and potential to contribute to nation building.
READ ALSO: Catholic Church Seeks Ethical Use Of Artificial Intelligence
“God did it from the very beginning. After all he said it’s not good for man to be alone. And that’s how he created Eve. So, right from the word go, the woman was there not as an addendum or as a supplement but as an essential element. He created us males and females in his own image and likeness. Even our culture recognises that because in our culture women have their specific roles. Problems only arise when we begin to think that we can do it better than God, when we begin to think that there’s no difference between men and women. We are deceiving ourselves. What we need to do however is to explore and exploit the various talents and special gifts of women in whatever we do both in the church and in the state,” Cardinal Onaiyekan said.
The Archbishop noted that the Catholic Women Organisation is a formidable organisation that can bring about change in the country.
He stressed that the change should start with the CWO getting involved and changing policies that restrict political meetings to middle of the night activities.
He pointed out that such meeting times are not women friendly and should be looked into.
“Nothing stops women from being in politics. Except that if the political parties decide that their meeting will be holding from twelve midnight to three am. How do you want the mother of a family to leave their families and go for a meeting at that time? Those things must change. How it will change, I don’t know. That’s where groups like the CWO will come in. The CWO is very powerful. In case you don’t know. There are not many groups as organised as they are. Wield your power in politics as well as in the home,” he stated.
He also called on the women not to forget their God-given roles in the family.
Cardinal Onaiyekan however commended Nigerian women for their resilience in the face of prevailing economic challenges in the country.
The Chaplain of the Archdiocesan Catholic Women Organisation, CWO, Fr. Victor Ogunyemi urged the women to make sure that they participate and take over leadership for the good of the nation.
“I will first of all tell the women that their role cannot be put aside. It cannot be pushed aside. Their number is big and their number sends a message. And they should go and register and make sure they update their voter’s card status. They should also remember that whatever they do is for tomorrow and tomorrow begins today. Their action of voting or not voting has a lot of effects especially on the destiny of their children,” Fr. Ogunyemi said.
He advised women to be courageous to go all out to present themselves as qualified women capable of ruling and not just following.
“The women should know that the time that women are at the backyard or in the kitchen has gone a very long time ago. It’s now time for women to know that they should take the front position in leadership. They should be courageous and tenacious,” he noted.
The President Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja Catholic Women Organisation, Mrs. Nnenna Ihukwe said that women have over the years contributed to nation building.
She said that the women have decided to march forward.
She noted that the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja Catholic Women Organisation has built a civic centre that would impact on the women by empowering them with various skills.
“Nation building is our job. Starting from the teachings of the church. And right inside our homes. We practically do nation building in our own way. Starting from the family to all fields. So we are building the nation gradually and doing it with pride,” Mrs. Ihukwe said.
