Elections: Women Affairs, UN Women to support female candidates
Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, says the Ministry and UN Women are making efforts to support female candidates vying for various political offices in the 2023 general elections through capacity building to ensure service delivery.
Tallen said this during the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Ministerial Forum in Abuja.
According to her, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs with relevant stakeholders’ collaboration, will organise programmes to equip female candidates for the positions they are contesting.
She said, “we are planning to have a capacity-building programme with UN Women to see that women are supported and prepared for the offices. We know that politics entails a lot of money because of campaigning. We don’t have money to give them, but the capacity building will encourage them.
“We will also intensify advocacy for women. I am using this forum to call on all Nigerian women to support any female candidate that is contesting the election. Because we have the numerical strength, we will surely win if we support one another.
“So, I am appealing to Nigerian women; let’s begin to support one another. I prayer for every female candidate to scale through all the elections that are coming so that we can have a better presence of women in all the various offices.
“The more women we have in our houses of assembly and the National Assembly, the better for it for Nigeria because the eyes that the woman sees things differs from the way a man sees things.”
The minister affirmed that giving Nigerian women more political positions would promote development, citing examples of offices headed by women that were thriving well.
She appealed to the next administration in the country to continue with the legacy set by President Muhammadu Buhari and scale up the 35 percent affirmative action for women.
“We appeal that the next incoming administration after President Muhammadu Buhari will continue to do more for women. We are praying that unless Nigeria allows women to occupy at least 35 percent or 50 percent positions, there will be no meaningful development. Development will be faster if more women occupy strategic positions,” she said.
Tallen also commended state governors for supporting, encouraging, and giving more appointments to women.
NAN/S.O
