BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – Nigerian Women have been challenged to work on breaking the gender biases against them by supporting more women seeking elective offices in their various communities.
The Executive Director, Fahimta Women and Youth Development Initiative (FAWODYI), Hajiya Maryam Garba, who threw the challenge, lamented that the number of women in elective positions across the country is quite low and insignificant compared to their male counterparts.
Hajiya Garba spoke at a one-day symposium in Bauchi organized by the Fahimta Women and Youth Development Initiative in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria, to mark the 2022 International Women’s Day themed: ‘Gender Equality Today for a sustainable Tomorrow’: #BreakTheBias
She said it has become urgent that women make conscious efforts to bridge the worrying gap by seeking elective offices towards getting fair representation both at the local, state, and national levels.
The FAWODYI Executive Director said the symposium was packaged to sensitize women on the need for them to break the gender barriers against them by ensuring that more women are given massive support to get into elective offices.
According to her, “This day, the International Women’s day could not have come at a better time than this when women are seeking a voice in this nation. The number of women we have in our elective offices both at the state and national level is not encouraging at all. We are the only ones that can change the narrative by supporting ourselves to ensure that we support any woman seeking an elective position”.
Also speaking at the event, the Special Assistant to the Bauchi State Governor on Special Duties, Mrs Comfort Sulisma said the fear of rejection has hindered many women from going for elective offices.
She further noted that several factors, ranging from religion, gender bias, culture and tradition among others, have made many women to stay hidden in their shells without exploring their potentials.
“I think what women should be agitating for is gender equity and not equality because we cannot say we must be equal to the men. Women should push instead for the 35 percent affirmative action so that we can have a fair representation of women both at the state and national level”.
In her position paper, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Gender Officer in the state, Mrs Noami Yusuf urged women, particularly at the community level, to register and obtain their permanent voters cards in order to support and vote for women seeking elective offices in their respective communities.
She described as disheartening a situation where women gunning for elective positions do not make it beyond the primary elections because they have no support, adding if the womenfolk can mobilise themselves and support their colleagues, more women will find their way into elective offices, a development that will not only benefit them but the society at large.
Participants at the event were drawn from Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), INEC, government and religious organizations.
The International Women’s Day is marked globally on March 8 every year to celebrate women globally as part of efforts to raise and sustain awareness on women and gender-based issues.
