Women have taken a big step toward ensuring equatable gender political representation in politics in the country by inaugurating a Task Team for implementation of Charter of Demands by Nigerian Women for political parties.
The Task Force was inaugurated by the UN Women in collaboration with Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
Speaking at the inauguration at the weekend in Abuja, the UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong expressed optimism that the setting up of the Task Team would ensure that women are well represented in the political leadership.
Eyong who was represented at the occasion by the Programme Officer, Peacebuilding and Prevention, Susan Agada, said: “Nigeria faces significant challenges in achieving gender equality in political representation, with women being under-represented in political structures despite the country’s National Gender Policy and commitments to international agreements.”
She added that: “To address this, a high-level dialogue in September 2023 led to the endorsement of the Nigerian Women Demand Charter by all 18 political parties, aimed at increasing women’s political participation.
“The Task Team will monitor the implementation of these commitments, validate its Terms of Reference, and draft an action plan in collaboration with UN Women and key partners, advancing efforts toward gender equality in politics ahead of the 2027 elections.”
Eyong noted that UN Women was committed to ensuring gender equality and women’s empowerment as well as promoting equal representation of women in the political space.
She congratulated key stakeholders who have been working tirelessly and advocating equal representation and participation of women in politics.
In her remarks, Global Affairs Canada, Melissa Camaganacan, underscored the need for equal representation of women in political leadership and decision-making process.
Camaganacan stated that research has shown that a country’s overall progress and perfomance would improve significantly where there is equal representation of women in leadership.
She noted that increased representation of women in political participation and leadership would definitely impact positively on the Gross Domestic Product(GDP) of such country.
On his part, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Outreach and Partnership Committee, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Kunle Ajayi, said the Task Team would not just be an oversight body but also would play crucial role in ensuring that the commitments reached are translated into action.
Ayayi, represented by Director of Gender Affairs, INEC, affirmed that women possess the power to change the narrative in the political space, adding that nations with equitable representation of women achieve socio-economic and political development faster.
In his address, the Chairman of IPAC, Mr. Yusuf Dantalle,, observed that women and youth constitute majority of voters, adding that they should use their numerical strength to get into positions of leadership at all levels.
Dantalle, who identified cultural barriers, discriminatory laws as some of the impediments confronting women’s yearnings and aspirations in political leadership, however called for inclusivity, gender equality and women’s empowerment to overcome these challenges.
He charged the Task Team to work assiduously to make their impact felt, urging them to take the task as national assignment.
One of the facilitators at the event, Prof. Joy Ezeilo, explained that The Charter reflects the yearnings and aspirations of women in Nigeria, particularly female politicians, to enjoy their human rights and equal representation as members of various political parties in Nigeria.
Ezeilo listed the demand of women as encapsulated in the Charter, which include political will and commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment; improve women’s participation in politics and decision-making as well as demonstration of principled transformational leadership.
