NAWOJ Partners NILOWV On Campaign For Special Parliamentary Seats For Women
CBD Abuja has teemed with Advocates of Change from various women-centric and profesional organizations, all with the intent and mission to make a bold statement in initiating a legacy for posterity to reckon with in the area of Gender Equality and Equity.
The event held at the auditorium of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), ,was the National Flag Off of the ‘Ward 2 Ward’ Flagship Campaign, with theme: Her Seat in the Parliament and Governance Campaign organized by the League of Women Voters of Nigeria (NILOWV) in collaboration with the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), and with the support of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR).
Joining her counterparts to make bold statements at the event, Comrade Aisha Ibrahim, National Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, stated that the event was to launch a Ward to Ward Campaign for Special Seats for Women in Governance in order to address the deficit in women representation in policy making decisions and in the actualization of good governance for all.
She made reference to the bill seeking to create additional 74 seats for Women in Parliament sponsored by Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives which she stated, is a monumental step towards achieving true gender equality in the nation’s governance but decried the fact that the bill is yet to scale through parliamentary and Legislative rigours.
The NAWOJ boss noted that the underrepresentation of Women in Legislative Seats silences the voice of not just Women, but half of the population of Nigeria, hindering her progress towards a just and equitable society, a development which she stated has far reaching consequences, impacting on everything from policy decisions, healthcare, education, national security, economic development and Nigeria’s advancement as a nation.
The National Chairperson stated that NILOWV and NAWOJ are in collaboration to mobilize supports, using their professional platforms and milieus of influence to take the campaign to the grassroots in order to address the deficits caused by the absence of women’s perspectives, experiences, priorities and ideas which she said are crucial components of effective governance.
She added that the campaigns will also seek to educate Nigerians on the benefits of having more women in governance and hopes that the outcome will resonate across various Nigerian communities.
Earlier in her opening remarks, the President of the League of Women Voters Nigeria, Hon. Irene Awunah Ikegh emphasized on the importance of the special seats and the need for more women’s representation in elective offices, participation in politics and policy making decisions.