Women In Politics: Stakeholders StrategizeTowards Achieving 35 Percent Affirmative Action On Elective Positions In Ekiti 

Critical stakeholders  have promised to work towards defeating all barriers hindering increased participation of women in politics.

Speaking  during  a One-Day Workshop For Youth Leaders On Advance Women’s Political Participation In Ekiti State, the stakeholders expressed worry over low representation of women in elective, appointive positions since the  advent of the current democratic governance  in 1999.

The programme  was organized by  a non Governmental organisation, Balm In Gilead Foundation For Sustainable Development(BIGIF) was attended by the  representatives of political parties,Civil Society Organisations,Media amongst others .

They posited that women were underrepresented in the nation’s governance questing for the fulfilment of the thirty-five percent Affirmative Action for women in accordance to the Beijing conference recommendation some years back in China.

The stakeholders  stressed the need for behavioral change by women towards participating in partisan politics pointing  out that myriads of challenges including inferiority complex,illiteracy,tradition,culture,marital ,verbal attack,odd meeting time affecting women’s political participation should be addressed frontally.While strategies listed out with a view to increasing women participation in politics include capacity building and training,Financial support,Legal Assistance,Political institution support,amongst others.

The representative of the Permanent Secretary,Ekiti State Ministry of Women Affairs,Mrs Komolafe encouraged women to be participating in politics and that the Programme came up at the appointed time saying”Women need to stand,and come out,they shouldn’t see themselves as second class citizens. Political parties issues must be discussed during day time and discourage midnight meetings.

Famobio Ganiyat who represented Dr Bunmi Omosehindemi of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC),Ekiti State urged women to ensure they register and at the same time be active members of political parties,be bold enough to take what belonged to them and do not sell their voter card.

While the Chairman Inter Party Advisory Council(IPAC),Hon. Daramola Owoola who as one of the resource persons at the gathering spoke on Women’s Political Participation and Party Politics saying men should give women opportunities to be occupying political positions.

The IPAC Chairman said women’s political political participation must start from electioneering process urging them to discard the notion that their votes did not count and “If women occupy political offices that they would have passion for the development of the country adding that”to secure lasting peace,we must have women participation in politics”.

Another resource person,Mr.Gbenga Adesunloro who spoke on Women Political Participation;The Barrier and Way Forward said since inception of the current democratic governance in Nigeria about twenty-five years ago that six percent and three percent were recorded in both the State and the National Assembly respectively of Women representation which he described as worrisome .

Although,he said that Ekiti State had recorded twenty-three percent of women representation stressing that”the more women are giving access to power,the more they will be able to control resources”.

Adesunloro, however identified notable barriers hindering women’s political participation in the nation’s governance to include societal and cultural norms,Intimidation,stigmatization and violence,Limited Access to resources,Lack of institutional support and Lack of confidence in the legal system amongst others.

He,therefore admonished women to create opportunities for themselves by attending political parties meetings.

Earlier in her opening  remarks,,the Executive Director Balm In Gilead Foundation For Sustainable Development(BIGIF),Tumininu Adedeji  said “as you all know,today’s conversation centers around women’s participation in politics and in Ekiti State. But global recommendation of thirty-five percentage affirmative yet to be fulfilled in Nigeria. We are talking about elective positions,not appointive.”

She appreciated the Ekiti State Ministry of Women Affairs,Inter-parties Advisory Council(IPAC),Civil Society Organizations(CSO’s),Political parties members,and the Media for taking part in the Programme.

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