Today, Tuesday 3rd December, 2024, notable women gathered at Denis Hotel, off Aminu Kano Way Wuse, Abuja to network on how to draw attention to the relevance of women in bequetting equitable governance in Africa and Nigeria in particular.
One of the major albatross to women performing to relevance in the society is the low-participation in politics.
And this is perceived a decoy deliberately channeled towards women by their male counterpart to witchunt and possibly distract them from active politics.
BAOBAB, a frontline women rights advocacy group convened the meeting of women in politics with the aim to encourage them as well as call out to other women to summon courage to assert themselves in politics
And as part of programmes marked down to execute the mission, a 16 days of intensive activism against gender-based violence has been slated to advance the domestication of Maputo protocol to end violence against women with interest in politics.
Executive Director of BAOBAB, Yeye Bunmi Dipo-Salami, encouraged participants to be alive to picking courage to expressing themselves in politics and never allow the lingering distractions overwhelm them.
She expressed delight over the courage displayed by participants, who came from all over the six local councils of the FCT, just as she expressed optimism that the future of women contributing adequately in national development is bright.
“It is becoming more obvious that women are not wanted in the political space in Nigeria. We have a woman burnt to death in Kogi State, we have some molested openly and in the dark. We have a kind of emotional oppression where forms are taken from women and handed over to men. All these must stop.
“if we don’t talk, our problems will remain with us. We have been talking against violence against women but we seem to have been glossing over the violence in the vast landscape of politics. Violence against women in politics is much and we need to take it on and fight to ensure our rights are restored,” she said.
The Tuesday gathering among the women is to deliberate more on what women can do to regain their position of pride and found modalities on how women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), can pick up the baton and use the National Assembly to move bills that will lead to women emancipation from ongoing oppression .
Former Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Olubunmi Adelugba, gave the goodwill message at the occasion while Dr Grace Atim, Chief Research Fellow, Gender and Social Safeguards Specialist, Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution and Hon Amina Darasimi Bryhm, President, Forium of National Woman Leaders of Registered Political Parties in Nigeria, graced the occasion.
